ST. PETER, Minn. – The Minnesota State baseball team (15-1, 9-0 NSIC) defeated the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth (10-8, 6-3 NSIC) 10-0 in seven innings on Friday afternoon at Gustie Baseball Field in St. Peter.
 
The Mavericks scored six runs right away in the first inning, capped off by a two-run homer from graduate student-athlete Ben Palmer. He also had a two-run single to secure the mercy-rule victory in the bottom of the sixth. Palmer ended the afternoon with four RBI. Louis Magers also hit a towering home run over the field in right in the sixth. He ended the game with three hits and one RBI. Ike Mezzenga did not record a base hit but drove in two RBI in the win.
 
On the mound for Minnesota State, starter Sam George pitched five innings, allowed four hits and struck out nine in his first win of the 2025 season.
 
Minnesota State vs Minnesota Duluth: W, MSU 10, UMD 0 (7 Innings)
W: Sam George (1-0)   L: Henry Wilkinson (0-2)
 
The Bulldogs put runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the first after a rocket to center from the leadoff hitter and a huge double to the right field fence from Troy Lynch, but George wrung up the following batter to secure the third out of the opening frame.
 
Minnesota State also put runners on second and third in the first inning. Zach Stroh drew a leadoff walk, then freshman Jake Berkland doubled down the right field line to put two on with nobody out. A groundout from Mezzenga scored Stroh from third and an error from the Bulldog second baseman allowed Berkland to score to give MSU a two-run lead. An infield single from Aidan Byrne scored a third run, and a fourth baserunner crossed home on a wild pitch. Palmer hit a two-run homer that carried over the right field fence which gave the Mavericks a 6-0 lead after the first inning. It was his fourth of the season.
 
The Mavericks held UMD scoreless in the top of the second, then a pair of singles from Berkland and Magers put two on with one out in the bottom half. Matt Fleischhacker hit an infield single to shortstop, but the Bulldogs pulled off a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
 
Both teams went three-up-three-down in the third, then Minnesota State added to its lead in the fourth. A pair of singles from Stroh and Berkland put the leadoff runner on third, then Mezzenga flew out to deep center field which allowed Stroh to score from third. After four, MSU led 7-0.
 
Minnesota Duluth had a pair of singles to centerfield in the top of the fifth to put runners on, then a dropped strikeout allowed the Bulldogs to move up a base, however, a flyout retired the order for UMD. In the bottom of the inning, Brnadon Vlcko hit a single to center, then Palmer drew a walk to put two on with one out which forced a pitching change from Minnesota Duluth. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, but a pop out ended the inning, still a seven-run advantage for the Mavericks.
 
The Bulldogs put two more runners on in the top of the sixth on a throwing error and a walk. The Mavericks turned a 6-4-3 double play to get two quick outs, then Jacob Gajic struck out the final batter to eliminate the scoring threat.
 
Magers crushed a ball over the right field fence in the bottom of the sixth to put the Mavericks up eight. Fleischhacker and Byrne had back-to-back sharply hit singles up the middle with two outs and a walk loaded the bases with Palmer headed up to the plate. He singled past the Bulldog third baseman's glove which scored two to give the Mavericks a 10-0 lead.
 
UMD's leadoff batter in the seventh, Joey Flom, hit a single to right to put a runner on. Gajic struck out the next batter, then Mankato native Tanner Shumski came into pitch. His second pitch of the game was hit to third, and the Maverick infield turned two to end the game, 10-0 in seven innings.
 
Palmer went 2-3 at the plate in the win with four RBI. Mezzenga went 0-2 at the plate but still drove in two runs for Minnesota State. Magers' homer ties him with Mezzenga for the team lead with six on the season. He ended the day going 3-3 at the plate with one RBI. Fleischhacker and Berkland also had three hits against the Bulldogs. Fleischhacker had one RBI. Byrne tallied a multi-hit game and drove in an RBI, as well.
 
George was great on the mound, as he wrung up nine batters in five innings. He allowed four hits. Gajic struck out two in 1.1 innings of work. Shumski threw two pitches before the game-ending double play.
 
"Impressive offensive performance coming out and having a big first inning," said Minnesota State head coach Matt Magers. "Strong pitching from George allowed us to settle in and play our style of ball."
 
The Mavericks continue their series against the Bulldogs tomorrow with a double-header. The two teams face off at Bowyer Field in Mankato tomorrow, Saturday, March 22 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.