The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball team looks to continue playing great baseball as they take on the Bemidji State Beavers in an NSIC showdown in Bemidji. Game 1 will be on KROX, with the Riverview Health Pregame Show starting at 1 PM.
GAME ONE – FIRST INNING
UMC was retired in the top of the first in order, on two groundouts and a foulout.
In the bottom of the inning, BSU capitalized on opportunities. After a throwing error led off the inning, and after a flyout, Hunter Hyden crushed a two-run home run, making it 2-0 Beavers. Noah Drusch then followed with a single, and he would be driven in by Matt Filippi, putting BSU up 3-0. They would add more with two outs; Joe Hansen singled in Filippi to make it 4-0, would advance to second on a throwing error, and then would score on another error, making it 5-0 Beavers before a groundout mercifully ended the inning for the Golden Eagles.
SECOND INNING
After two quick outs in the top of the second inning, Jackson Fliflet (Soph, Wahpeton, ND) delivered the first run of the game for UMC with a mammoth solo shot to dead center field, cutting the lead to 5-1. The Golden Eagles then got a buny single from Connor Bushbaum (Sr., Saginaw) before a flyout ended the inning.
After a very rough first inning, Nate Heymann (Jr., Waimea, HI) began to settle in, only allowing a one-out walk to Beau Thoma, who was caught stealing by Fliflet to end the inning.
THIRD INNING
In the third, UMC got into their best scoring position of the game so far. With one out, back-to-back walks followed by an infield hit from Aaron Wensloff (Jr., Roseau) loaded the bases. However, BSU starter Beau Barry buckled down, getting a strikeout and a flyout to end the threat, keeping UMC off the board.
The Beavers were retired in order in the bottom of the third on two groundouts and a flyout.
FOURTH INNING
UMC got a two-out single from Caden Kappes (Jr., Wahpeton) in the fourth inning, but the other three batters in the inning struck out.
The Beavers were once again set down in order in the home half of the fourth, on two groundouts and a flyout.
FIFTH INNING
Both teams were set down in order in the fifth inning.
SIXTH INNING
UMC finally got their bats more awake in the sixth inning, getting three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out, chasing Beau Barry out of the game. Castle Huggard came in for the Beavers, and he forced Bushbaum to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, scoring a run to cut the lead to 5-2. That would be all the Golden Eagles would get, as another groundout ended the threat.
With one out in the bottom of the inning, the Beavers put the nail in the coffin of this game as Matt Filippi delivered a solo home run to the opposite field to restore the four-run advantage at 6-2. BSU also got a double in the inning, but the Golden Eagle bullpen got out of the inning with no more runs crossing the plate.
SEVENTH INNING
UMC started the 7th inning with a leadoff walk, but yet another double play induced by Huggard deflated any momentum, and a strikeout would then follow, ending the game with the Beavers winning 6-2.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| UMC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| BSU | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 6 | 6 | 0 |
For UMC-
Jackson Fliflet – 2 for 3, HR
Connor Bushbaum – 1 for 3, RBI, SB
Americo Sculati – 1 for 3, R
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Nate Heymann – UMC (LP) | 5.2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Ashton Detloff – UMC | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beau Barry – BSU (WP) | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Castle Huggard – BSU | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
GAME TWO –
FIRST INNING-
UMC looked to get off to a better start in the second game, and they got a one-out single from Elias Leach (Fr., Plymouth), who also stole second on the very next pitch. However, he was left stranded, as a strikeout and groundout ended the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, the Beavers got a couple of walks at the beginning, but Kyle Odenbach (Sr., Thompson, ND) got out of the inning, getting a caught stealing and inducing two consecutive flyouts to end the inning.
SECOND INNING
After two quick outs, UMC struck first, as Caden Kappes crushed his first home run of the year, giving the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead. Another ball nearly left the yard, but a long flyout ended the inning after that.
Odenbach got two quick outs in the bottom of the second inning, before a walk to Joe Hansen and a single to Carter Anderson put two runners on. However, Odenbach got a big strikeout, ending the threat with no runs across.
THIRD INNING
FOURTH INNING
FIFTH INNING
SIXTH INNING
SEVENTH INNING
EIGHTH INNING
NINTH INNING
UMC
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| UMC | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| BSU | 0 | 0 | 2 |
For UMC-
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| -UMC | ||||||
| -UMC | ||||||
| -UMC | ||||||
| -BSU | ||||||
| -BSU | ||||||
| -BSU |
