SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Rated 13th in last week's NCBWA Division II Poll, Minnesota State (36-7) defeated 18th-ranked Augustana (34-10) 8-5 to advance to the Championship Game in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Baseball Tournament, Thursday.
Maverick seniors Teddy Petersen and Joey Werner each slugged MSU's way to the win. Petersen hit a leadoff home run to get MSU off to a hot start and finished the 2-for-4 day with two runs and two RBI. Werner also had a home run as part of a 4-for-5 day that saw him post a pair of RBI with a two-run home run in the second inning.
Petersen got the Mavericks going with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. Before the inning could wrap up, Ty Denzer reached first on a dropped third strike and eventually scored on an RBI single by senior catcher Ben Livorsi. Sophomore shortstop Nick Altermatt made it 3-0 with an RBI single to right that scored Adam Schneider.
After MSU batted around in the first, Petersen led off again in the second and got on base for Werner who made it 5-0 with a no-doubter to right for his team-high 12th home run of the season.
The Vikings made their way into the score column in the fifth inning with back-to-back home runs down the rightfield line for Christian Kuzemka and Hunter Rosencranz to shrink the Mavericks' lead to 5-2. Then, an RBI single from Jordan Barth scored one more in the fifth to make it a 5-3 game. However, the Mavericks responded in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single off Petersen's bat to left that scored Livorsi and made it a 6-3 game.
AU came within one of MSU in the next inning with another home run from Kuzemka that flew out to left in the sixth inning and made it 6-5.
In the sixth, Livorsi hit a two-run double with two outs which added insurance to get MSU back out to a three-run lead, 8-5
From that point on, with solid pitching and defense, the Mavericks held on to secure their 36th win of the season and advance to the NSIC Championship with an 8-5 victory over the Vikings.
The Mavericks edged the Vikings in hits 14-13 despite having one more error, 2-1.
The Mavericks' starting pitcher game two of the NSIC Tournament was sophomore Collin Denk. Denk worked into the sixth inning while allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits. He struck out five and never surrendered a walk. In relief, right-handed pitcher Jack Zigan came on in the sixth to lift MSU out of a jam with no outs and stranded AU runners on the corner. He finished the day pitching two innings where he gave up a hit but no runs. Senior right-handed pitcher Jon Ludwig took over for the eighth and ninth innings en route to his second save of the season. While he allowed a pair of hits, Ludwig surrendered no runs or walks and struck out two.
Thursday's loss went to Max Steffens, who fell to 8-2 this season in the outcome after throwing 3.2 innings. Steffens allowed eight hits for five runs (three earned) while walking and striking out a pair.
Minnesota State will await the outcome of tonight's matchup between Augustana and Minnesota Crookston to determine who they will play next in the NSIC Tournament Championship, Friday at 11:00 a.m.
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