Bulldogs Sweep U-Mary

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

The University of Minnesota Duluth earned a ten-run mercy rule victory for the third-straight series, sweeping a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Sunday to take 3-of-4 in the weekend series against the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.

UMD (28-12, 22-8 NSIC) scored runs with a home run and three sacrifice flies as they knocked off the Marauders 5-1 in game one, before coming back with an 11-1 eight inning victory over U-Mary (8-36, 6-22 NSIC), adding three more longballs in the nightcap.

COVERING THE BASES
• Though not the most glamorous of records, junior first baseman Alex Wojciechowski now owns the UMD single season high for putouts with 19 in the twinbill and 362 on the year, while achieving a .989 fielding percentage with just four errors on the year. The previous record of 348 was set by Alex Conboy in 2007.
• Wojciechowski finished the day 4-for-7 with a home run and a double, driving in three and crossing the plate three times. Senior centerfielder John Meyer scored five runs, also 4-of-7 on the day with a home run. Another pair of juniors, third baseman Kyle Comer and outfielder Spencer Diedrich, also launched a long ball on the day. Sophomore shortstop Kyle Hoffman had his third-straight game with a run batted in, in game two.
• Sophomore southpaw Kevin Stocke went the distance in game one, allowing just a run one five hits while striking out four, picking up his team-leading fourth victory of the season. Freshman righty Alex Ferguson picked up his second in game two, scattering three hits while striking out five in five innigns of work.

The Bulldogs made it three-straight and 12 of their last 13 in sweeping the doubleheader against the Marauders. All four home runs were of the solo variety, as was U-Mary’s answer in game one: After UMD scored the first five runs of the game, each in a different inning, junior shortstop Mason Schiff homered to break up Stocke’s shutout leading off the seventh inning.

The Bulldogs jumped out in the first inning of game two as well with Meyer’s solo shot, before scoring another run on an RBI fielder’s choice by junior second baseman Jimmy Heck. UMD would score on back-to-back doubles by senior catcher Beau Goff and Hoffman in the fourth, and back-to-back homers by Wojciechowski and Comer in the fifth.

After the Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Schiff again broke up the shutout with a single through the left side that resulted in a fielding error and freshman catcher Tom Imholte crossing the plate. It would be the end of the scoring for the Marauders though as sophomore right-hander Grant Farley came in from left field to the mound to get the final out of the game.

UP NEXT
UMD will have a tough challenge ahead of it as the Bulldogs play host to the nation’s no. 2-ranked team in St. Cloud State University for the team’s home finale. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. at Bulldog Park.

dd