Baseball sweeps road series over Concordia
Team continues hot streak of wins; winning 16 of their last 18 games
Brady Olson
Staff Writer
It was a dominant weekend for the Minnesota State baseball team, as they swept Concordia-St. Paul in four games on the road through two doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday.
In the first game of the series, MSU would get out to an early lead as senior Jordan Hart would hit an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the 1st.
They would increase their lead in the third, as RBI singles from Hart and junior Ty Buck would extend the lead to 3-0.
However, CSP would respond with one run in the bottom of the third, followed by a three-run fourth inning, taking a 4-3 lead into the fifth.
In the top of the seventh, the Mavericks would tie the game up on an RBI single from freshman Nick Altermatt, scoring senior Tyler Berg. The game would be tied through regulation and would go into extra innings.
In the 10th, junior Teddy Petersen would hit the go-ahead home run, giving MSU the lead and eventual 5-4 win.
In the second game, Hart started off the scoring with a solo home run in the first, but CSP would respond by scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The Mavs would bring things to a tie in the second, with senior Tom Imholte hitting an RBI single.
MSU would extend the lead in the third, with sophomore Mitch Frederick hitting a two-run single into left field. The last run of the game would come in the fifth, with MSU holding a 5-3 lead through five innings.
Sophomore Trevor Divinski would get the win as he threw 6 1/3 innings, and junior Hunter Even would get the last two outs for the save.
In Sunday’s opener, MSU opened up with a bang, scoring seven runs on three homers in the first three innings of the game.
CSP would hit two homers of their own in the third, but the Mavericks still would hold a good 7-2 lead.
MSU would continue to pile on runs, with two runs in the sixth and one more in the 8th. CSP would score two runs in the bottom of the eighth, capping off the scoring as MSU won 10-4.
Freshman Zach Gustafson got the start but got no decision after being pulled through four innings. Even would finish the last five innings of the game, being credited with the win.
The final game of the series would end up in a rout for the Mavs, taking a 10-1 victory. CSP would take an early 1-0 lead through two innings. They would hold that lead until the 5th inning, when an Altermatt single would bring in junior Ty Denzer, leveling the game at 1-1.
MSU would take the lead in the 6th inning, scoring four runs as they took a 5-1 lead. They would shred CSP in the 7th, ending their barrage with five runs on four homers. Freshman Jack Zigan would go 6 ⅔ innings, taking the win while throwing seven strikeouts.
MSU now holds a 34-10 record on the year, with just five games left before the NSIC tournament. They next play on Wednesday, playing a road doubleheader against Sioux Falls.
Header photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.