Mavs hit fourth sweep after Gusties upset

A wise man once said: Streaks are always meant to be broken, no matter how long they might extend. One of Minnesota State Baseball’s longest streaks has finally been broken during its current home stretch.

Last Monday, the Mavs traveled up the freeway to St. Peter and lost 11-7 against Gustavus Adolphus College, making it the first time the Gusties have beaten them on the diamond since 1986 — a 37-year drought.

Entering the evening affair, the Mavs started with a home run from Jackson Hauge in the fourth. 

However, things quickly turned sour for the Mavs with four runs scored by the Gusties to give them a 4-1 lead. Matthew Fleischhacker notched an RBI double to cut the lead in half but  it was followed by four more runs to make it an 11-2 ball game. 

With only two innings left, the Mavs went on a tear with two RBI doubles from Ryan Bachman and Mike Gottschalk, two RBI singles from Tanner Thompson and Louis Magers, and a forced error allowing Hauge to score. However, it wasn’t enough as they lost 11-7, breaking the streak.

However, there’s no rest for the defending champs as they turned around for a Wednesday double header against Upper Iowa. 

In the blazing heat, the Mavs took out the brooms and swept them in the process. 

Entering game one, the Mavs struggled after two RBI singles gave the Peacocks a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. However, the Mavs then took control after they responded with a Jackson Hauge double and Adam Schneider single tied the game in the first. 

After dueling for hours in the scorching heat, the Mavs took control in the sixth. Aiden Byrne sent a sacrifice fly to right  that allowed Mikey Gottschalk to score. An error allowed Hunter Ranweiler to score and be followed by an RBI single from Brock Johnson, giving the Mavs a 5-2 victory to conclude the first game of the series.

Following a small break, both sides took the field for game two. This time around it was a lower-scoring affair. The Mavs got on the board in the fourth after Hunter Ranweilier drew a walk with the bases loaded.  A fly out the next inning allowed Jackson Hauge to score on an unearned run. 

From there on, the Mavs put the Peacocks in an iron grip until the seventh inning. An RBI single allowed the Peacocks to score but they fell short in a 2-1 loss, giving the Mavs sweep number four of the season and back into the win column.

Write to Charlie Groebner at Charles.Groebner@mnsu.edu

Header Photo: Minnesota State’s Baseball team sweeps the Upper Iowa Peacocks Wednesday in a double header, placing them back in the win column after a shocking loss to Gustavus (Dylan Engel)