UMC BASEBALL COMPLETES THREE GAME SWEEP OF WAYNE STATE

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) baseball team scored four runs in the first two innings and held on with a strong bullpen performance in an 8-6 win over Wayne State in an NSIC game played at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska.

Minnesota Crookston’s offense continued its strong week in the first inning. Bryce Jorgenson (Jr., Thunder Bay, Ontario) walked to start the game before Landyn Swenson singled through the left side of the infield putting runners on first and second base. Reed Hjelle (Sr., East Grand Forks) walked to load the bases before Ben Thoma (Soph., Clearbrook) drove a sacrifice fly into centerfield, plating Jorgenson and giving UMC a 1-0 lead through the top of the first inning.
In the second inning, Scott Finberg (Jr., Stillwater) doubled down the left field line before Mason Ruhlman (Jr., Algonac, MI) walked to put runners on first and second base with no outs in the inning. After a strikeout, Bryce Jorgenson singled up the middle, allowing Finberg to score from second base and advancing Ruhlman to second as the Golden Eagles took a 2-0 lead. After an infield ground out put runners on the corners with two outs in the inning a wild pitch allowed Ruhlman to score from third base giving UMC a 3-0 lead.  Landyn Swenson (Jr., Devils Lake, ND) scored on another wild pitch for a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Wayne State pulled within one run in the third inning when they scored three runs, including a two-run home run.
Mason Ruhlman tripled into left field to open the fourth inning and following a walk, Landyn Swenson doubled into right field allowing Ruhlman to score while Griffin Fussy (Soph., Ham Lake) moved to third base as UMC took a 5-3 lead. Reed Hjelle was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.  After a fielders choice out at home, a wild pitch allowed Swenson to score while keeping two runners in scoring position for the Golden Eagles with two outs in the inning. A strikeout stranded two UMC base runners in scoring position, but not before UMC added two more runs to take a 6-3 lead through the top of the fourth inning.
Wayne State used a pair of doubles to scratch one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning before a single into left field chased UMC’s starting pitcher Nate Albrecht (Sr., Wahpeton, ND) out of the game with UMC clinging to a 6-5 lead after four innings.
After two scoreless innings, Reed Hjelle was hit by a pitch to start the seventh inning, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and after another wild pitch he was on third base. Ben Thoma walked putting runners on the corners with no outs. Brock Reller (Soph., Grand Forks, ND) drove a sacrifice fly into left field to score Hjelle pushing UMC’s lead to 7-5.  Scott Finberg (Jr., Stillwater) flew out to the centerfield, scoring Thoma and boosting UMC’s lead to 8-5 heading into the seventh inning stretch. With a three-run lead to protect, Aaron Hollcraft (Sr., Crookston) replaced Conner Richardson (Fr., Grand Forks) on the mound after the first-year pitcher tossed 2.1 scoreless innings allowing just two hits and exiting in line for the win. After Hollcraft tossed a scoreless frame with two strikeouts and Henry Pesch (Jr., Minneota) entered in the eighth inning looking to protect the Golden Eagles’ 8-5 lead. Pesch walked the first batter faced before allowing a single to left field as Wayne State brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Pesch battled back getting a strikeout and fly out to left field before a single up the middle plated a run for the Wildcats and put the tying run on first base with UMC’s lead down to 8-6. With the tying run on first base and two outs in the inning, Pesch battled to a full count before inducing a fly out to center field ending the inning with UMC’s 8-6 lead intact.
Dalton Grose (Soph., Waterville) took the mound for the final inning searching for a save to close out the three-game sweep of Wayne State. After dialing up two quick outs, Grose allowed a home run into left center field bringing Wayne State within 8-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the tying run at the plate, Grose got the next batter to fly out to left field to close out the game and clinch UMC’s 8-7 win.

UMC improves 10-7 overall and 3-0 in the NSIC and will travel to Concordia-St. Paul with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday.  Wayne State falls to 9-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

For UMC
Landyn Swenson – 2-5, 2 runs, rbi