UMD Drops First Series of Season

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

The battle of staff aces between the University of Minnesota Duluth and newly-minted No. 1-ranked St. Cloud State University at Bulldog Park in Duluth on Wednesday didn’t go quite as expected as the the score was 5-2 in favor of the road team after one inning, and the teams launched a combined 14 home runs as the Huskies swept the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader.

UMD (28-14, 22-10 NSIC) scored the final eight runs of the day, coming back from down 10-0 in game two before falling 10-8 in nine innings, while No. 1 St. Cloud State (43-3, 27-3 NSIC) dominated the opener, taking home a 20-8 victory to start UMD’s final home series.

COVERING THE BASES
• Sophomore left fielder Grant Farley launched three home runs, driving in six RBIs to lead the Bulldogs, while junior outfielder Josh Denisen lifted two long balls for UMD. Junior first baseman Alex Wojciechowski was 4-for-5 with four walks, a home run, two RBIs, and five runs scored on the day. With two doubles today, junior second baseman Jimmy Heck sits just three shy of the UMD single season record of 20.
• The Huskies struck for nine runs, five earned against UMD junior southpaw Bo Hellquist‘s 3.0 innings of work in game one, including three home runs. Hellquist allowed 10 hits and struck out three. Junior Spencer Diedrich allowed three earned runs in 4.0 innings of work in game two, leaving before the benefit of the Bulldogs’ late-game offensive explosion.
• A hit-by-pitch in a pinch-hitting appearance by sophomore shortstop Brian Pierce marked the 49th of the season for UMD as a team, surpassing the record set in 2005.

A pair of errors for each team in the first inning of game one got the twinbill off to an inauspicious start with UMD surrendering a 5-2 lead after one. The Huskies used the longball to extend their lead, eventually knocking Hellquist out after three innigns of work. UMD scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third to make it 9-3, before St. Cloud State put the game out of reach with an eight-run fifth inning. The Bulldogs would score late on three home runs, but it was not enough to overcome their early miscues.

UMD’s infield defense continued to be shakey in game two behind Diedrich as St. Cloud plated multiple runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to pull away to a 10-0 lead. One out away from being mercy ruled, the Bulldogs got some relief when Denisen lifted his second home run of the day to keep their hopes alive. After Wojciechowski, junior third baseman Kyle Comer, and Heck continued the rally, Farley would lift his second long ball, pulling UMD within four. Pierce would come around to score on an infield single by Wojciechowski after being hit by a pitch in the eighth, bringing St. Cloud State ace Reese Gregory back to the mound for the second time Tuesday looking to secure the save.

After tossing 5.0 innings, allowing a pair of earned runs and striking out eight in a game one win, Gregory tossed the final 1.1 innings, surrendering Farley’s third home run of the day in the ninth while adding a pair of strikeouts to his total. Thought UMD couldn’t hand him a loss on the day, they did raise his miniscule 0.84 ERA up to 1.20 on the year.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will be on the road for their final NSIC action of the season as UMD travels to Minot State University this Friday to start a four-game set. Opening pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. in Minot, North Dakota