Maverick baseball outscores NSU 18-2 in sweep

The Minnesota State baseball team swept Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) foe Northern State at home on Tuesday afternoon. The Mavs won the first game 5-1, and the next game right after 13-1 in a shortened game.

For the first game, junior right-hander Dalton Roach owned the Wolves as he tossed a seven-inning complete game. He gave up two hits, struck out the Wolves twelve times, and didn’t allow an earned run. Roach notched his seventh win on the season, and lowered his team-best ERA to 1.36. Roach is also leading the conference in strikeouts so far with 83.

The first run of the game didn’t come until the fifth inning. The Mavs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to the help of senior third baseman Eric Peterson’s double. That hit drove in sophomore left-fielder Tyler Berg.

Northern State did not help their cause in the next inning as their defensive errors caused four more runs for MSU. The Mavs had the bases loaded and freshman second baseman Tommy McDonald grounded into a fielder’s choice which drove in one run. However, NSU had their error which allowed two more runs. McDonald then scored later on in the inning due to a balk.

The Wolves scored their only run in the top of the seventh. Roach didn’t let the game get any closer and shut NSU down.

Senior right hander Mitch Bauer started in the second game. Bauer was very effective throwing 66 pitches, allowing only five hits and one run. He also struck out the Wolves five times in six innings. Bauer’s win brought his record to 6-0 on the season.

The Mavs scored early and often in this game. They were able to get 12 of their 13 runs in the first three innings. They scored three runs in the first, four in the second, and five in the third. The final run came in the fifth inning for the Mavs.

Junior catcher Noah Bluth hit his third homerun of the season. It was a solo blast over the left-field wall in the second.

Peterson led the Mavs in runs scored with four. That increased his all-time scoring mark to 204 at MSU. Peterson also leads the Mavs in hitting percentage, and this game improved that average to .392.

Sophomore right-hander Bobby Gauvreau pitched the final inning for the Mavs. He made quick work of the Wolves as he did not allow a hit.

The two wins for the Mavs put their record at 30-7 overall, and 25-3 in the conference. MSU will travel to Bemidji, Minn. to take on the Beavers of Bemidji State this weekend. They will play two double-headers on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at noon.

Bemidji is currently 12-22 with a 9-13 NSIC record. The last time the Mavs and Beavers faced each other was last season, where the Mavs swept them in a four-game series.