SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Rated 13th in last week's NCBWA Division II Poll, Minnesota State (37-8) took the second of two games on Friday against 18th-ranked Augustana (36-11) to claim its sixth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Championship.
Despite dropping game one 9-2, the Mavericks bounced back in game two to secure their sixth NSIC Tournament Championship in program history with an 11-9 victory over the Vikings.
GAME ONE | Augustana 9, Minnesota State 2
The Mavericks and Vikings traded a run a piece in the first and second innings as the conference foes came out of two innings in Friday's first game tied 2-2. Senior first baseman Ross Indlecoffer supplied the first tying hit in the form of an RBI double. Maverick catcher Ben Livorsi put a charge into one that flew out to right for his sixth home run of the season in the second inning to tie the game a second time.
The Mavericks' bats went stale in the remainder of game one as the Vikings piled on seven consecutive runs, while facing elimination, to force a winner takes all championship game in the tournament following a 9-2 final in favor of AU.
The Vikings outhit the Mavericks 14-6 in the first game. Each team had one error.
The Vikings' winning pitcher was Caleb Kranz, who moved to 1-0 in the first game. Kranz threw eight innings of two-run (one earned) baseball en route to the win. He gave up six hits along the way while walking one and striking out five others.
The Mavericks' starting pitcher in game one was junior right-hander Brendan Knoll. Knoll, now 8-1 after taking his first loss of the season, pitched six complete innings in the first game while giving up eight hits for six runs (five earned). He walked two but doubled it up with four strikeouts in the outing.
GAME TWO | Minnesota State 11, Augustana 9
Again in game two, the Mavericks and Vikings traded a first-inning run. After MSU scored on a fielding error at first base, the score was even at 1-1 after one inning in game two.
The Mavericks began to surge in the third inning with three runs that started with a double from Teddy Petersen who scored in the next at bat on an RBI single from Joey Werner before back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Nick Altermatt and Livorsi brought in another pair and made it 4-1.
In the fourth inning, Petersen hit his third home run in four games to make it 5-1 with a solo home run that sailed over the scoreboard at Karras Park in right field.
After Will Olson hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth, the Mavericks responded with more insurance runs. Ultimately, MSU went on to muster a six-run six-hit fifth inning that saw them take an 11-3 lead into the break. The momentous hits came from Altermatt, with an RBI double, and Livorsi, with a two-run triple off the wall in right, which led the Mavericks to the big fifth frame.
However, scoring for MSU in the championship game held up there. AU took over on offense, scoring three runs in the sixth and seventh innings to come within two runs of the Mavericks. Then, MSU shut things down to get the final six outs in the eighth and ninth and earn their sixth NSIC Tournament title in program history.
Hits for game two finished in favor of the Vikings 19-14. AU had the second game's only error which resulted in MSU's first run.
On the mound for the Mavericks, right-handed pitcher Cam Kline got his first start in since May 6 and used it to move to a 4-4 record on the hill this season. Kline threw five innings, allowed nine hits for three runs, walked two and struck out a pair of AU batters. In relief, Jack Zigan and Hunter Even took over and combined to finish the final four innings and secure the win for MSU.
For the Vikings, Evan Furst had the loss as AU's starting arm and fell to 3-1 as a result. In two innings, Furst surrendered four hits for four runs and struck out one MSU batter.
Among the Mavericks to finish the 2021 NSIC Baseball Tournament on the All-Tournament Team were Joey Werner, Teddy Petersen, Ty Denzer and Jon Ludwig.
The Mavericks will tune into NCAA.com for the NCAA Division II Baseball Selection Show, Sunday at 9 p.m. CST to find out who their next opponent will be when they head to the NCAA Central Regional in Warrensburg, Mo., next week.
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