DAVENPORT, Fla. --- The Minnesota State baseball team used five walks and four hits to plate seven runs in the home half of the seventh en route to a 12-8 victory over Ashland Friday afternoon at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.
 
The Eagles opened the game with a pair of runs in the top of the first thanks to a two-run home run off the bat of Ben Peltz. 
 
The Mavericks answered in the bottom of the first as sophomore Matthew Fleischhacker coaxed a leadoff walk before junior Aidan Byrne singled to center. 
 
A strikeout and a line out then sent sophomore Louis Magers to the plate with two outs and two on. Magers would empty the basepaths was he hit his second homerun of the young season over the right field wall.
 
The Eagles would use a pair of triples and a sacrifice fly in the second to plate pair of runs again before the Mavericks answered back in the bottom of the third.
 
Senior Ryan Wickman opened the stanza with a leadoff single to center before junior Zach Stroh drew a walk. A double steal moved the runners up 90 feet before Magers got hit by a pitch to load the bases.
 
Senior pinch hitter Ryan Friedges laced an infield single to shortstop, plating Wickman and tie the game at four. Sophomore Tanner Thompson then drew a bases loaded walk to score Stroh and push the Mavericks in front, 5-4.
 
Ashland regained its lead with a pair of runs in the fifth and another in the top of the seventh before the Mavericks more than batted around in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Byrne led off the bottom of the inning with a single to shortstop. A strikeout and a ground out then followed before Byrne moved to third on a passed ball. Magers then drew a walk before a wild pitch moved him to second and Byrne across the plate.
 
After junior Nick Baker drew the second free pass of the inning, he and Magers would come around to score when Friedges doubled to left, giving MSU an 8-7 lead.
 
Thompson followed by drawing a walk, before Friedges came around to score when senior Hunter Ranweiler singled to left.  A pitching change proceeded a walk by Fleischhacker to load the bases.  The merry-go-round continued when Byrne drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Thompson, before Wickman singled to rightfield, scoring Fleischhacker and Ranweiler and giving the Mavericks a 12-7 cushion.
 
Ashland added a run in the top of the eighth, but it was too little too late as MSU picked up its fifth win of the season.
 
Byrne, Friedges and Wickman all finished with two hits to pace the Maverick offensive attack.
 
"This was a great overall team win for us against a very talented Ashland team," said Maverick head coach Matt Magers.  "I was impressed how we battled back in the seventh and (Ryan) Friedges came through with a big two-strike, two-out hit for us.  (Mitch) Gutnecht, (Sean) Gamble and (Aiden) McGee) were relentless for us out of the bullpen."
 
Junior Sean Gamble worked three innings of relief to pick up the win, his first of the season.
 
The aforementioned bullpen worked eight innings of relief, scattering nine hits and striking out eight.
 
Minnesota State (5-5) takes on Ohio Dominican Saturday morning in a matinee beginning at 10 a.m.