Mavericks baseball goes 2-2 in opening weekend
Jenna Peterson
Staff Writer
The Minnesota State Mavericks baseball team began their season this past weekend, splitting the four-game series against the Maryville University Saints.
The first game took place Friday afternoon, where the Mavericks fell to the Saints 2-1. Maryville started the game right away in the bottom of the first by scoring two runs. The Mavericks scored their only run in the top of the fourth inning, as junior Cam Kline started with a single, while junior Carter Elliott followed with a single off a bunt to put runners on first and second.
Sophomore Mikey Fredrickson hit a single to center field to bring Kline home.
Elliott led the team offensively going 3-for-3 at the plate, while senior Joey Werner, freshman Hunter Ranweiler, Kline and Fredrickson were able to get a hit as well.
Pitcher Kline allowed two runs on five hits and walked one batter, while also pitching eight strikeouts.
The Mavericks bounced back in the second game with a 9-6 win. In the first inning sophomore Nick Altermatt started the game with a double down the right field center line and senior Teddy Petersen and Werner used a sacrifice bunt and fly to bring Alterman home for a 1-0 Maverick lead.
The Saints responded with a solo homerun in the bottom of the second inning, but this didn’t worry the Mavericks, as they took back the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Freshman Adam Schneider recorded his first collegiate hit that allowed him to get on base.
Senior Sebastian Holte-Mancera was walked, Ranweiler hit a single and Fredrickson was hit by a pitch to load the bases up. Schneider hit a double down the right field line to bring in three runs, giving the lead back to the Mavericks.
In the bottom of the fourth inning the Saints came back with two runs to shorten the Mavericks lead by one run. Reacting to this, the Mavericks opened the top of the fifth inning with two more runs as Werner hit a triple to left center field and then scored on a wild pitch in his next at bat.
The Saints were able to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 6-5 lead, but this didn’t last long as the Mavericks tied the game at six in the top of the eighth inning. Junior Ben Livorsi hit a triple to center field to bring in senior Ty Denzer, who was running for Holte-Mancera.
The Mavericks continued to score in the top of the ninth inning with three more runs and taking the win 9-6. Having one out, Werner walked and Kline hit a double to center field to bring in a run.
Elliott then hit a triple to right field that brought Kline across home plate and Denzer hit a single to bring in Elliott.
Elliott and Altermatt went 2-for-5 to lead the team offensively.
Holte-Mancera reached in all four at bats with one hit, two walk and a hit by pitch, while Schneider ended the game with a team-high three RBIs.
Senior Jon Ludwig allowed three runs off five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in five innings, while junior Trevor Divinski surrendered the lead in the seventh inning by allowing three runs on four hits with three strikeouts in two innings.
On Saturday both teams took one win each, ending the weekend with a 2-2 record. The first game of the day didn’t start until the bottom of the fourth inning when Maryville scored the first run off a double.
Minnesota State answered in the top of the fifth inning, starting with a lead-off walk from Schneider, who scored when Altermatt hit his first homerun of the season, bringing the Maverick lead to 2-1.
The Saints tied up the game and then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Junior Alex Hoff hit a double and scored when freshman Hayden Thornton hit a single to right center field.
Following junior Don Connolly’s reach on an infield single, senior Wyatt Elbe hit a three-run home run over the right field fence to bring the Saints up 4-2.
Maryville continued to score in the bottom of the sixth inning to bring the score up 9-2, with this being the winning score. With two outs and loaded bases, Connolly hit a single through the left side to bring in two runners.
Elbe then hit a double to right field that brought in another two runs.
The four hits from the Mavericks came from Altermatt, Werner, Kline, and Ranweiler.
In the last game of the weekend, Minnesota State was able to walk away with another win against Maryville. The Mavericks started with a run in the top of the third inning. Ranweiler was walked and later advanced to third base by a wild pitch and a tag up on a flyout; he was able to score after Werner was hit by a pitch and the Maryville pitcher was called for a balk.
The game remained quiet until the bottom of the ninth inning when the Saints tied up the game with a run from Connolly when the bases were loaded, resulting in the game to go into extra innings.
The Mavericks gained the lead once again in the top of the 11th inning to earn the 3-1 win. Kline and Livorsi started with neighboring walks to have two people on base and Schneider was also walked with one out.
Ranweiler made a comeback with a single to left center that brought in two runs and led to the Maverick win – he also led the team offensively by going three-for-four at the plate.
Junior Jimmy Larson received a no decision after having no hits on him though his six innings of pitching and allowed only two walks and had nine strikeouts.
Junior Brendan Knoll debuted by pitching two innings and passing one run on three hits and a walk.
Altermatt was awarded the game win after pitching the last three innings and allowing three hits and striking out six batters.
Another player to receive a no decision was senior Kaleb Huxford, after going seven and a third innings, surrendering one run on three hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts.
The Mavericks will continue their season in Davenport, Florida from March 5-12 for their spring trip games. Here, they will play against Gannon University, Cedarville University, Wilmington University, St. Cloud State, Ashland University, University of Sioux Falls, Florida Tech and Wayne State University.