In game one, the UMC Golden Eagles baseball team managed just one hit and three walks as the St. Cloud State Huskies defeated the Golden Eagles 9-0. In game two, UMC got just one run leading to a 8-1 loss and being swept in the NSIC doubleheader played in St. Cloud.
GAME ONE –
Both teams were retired in order in the first inning. UMC got a lead off walk to start the second inning, but then struck out three consecutive times to remain scoreless.
St. Cloud State got the first run of the game on the board in the bottom of the second inning. The Huskies led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to center field to grab the 1-0 lead. But, three consecutives outs kept the damage at just a run.
Again, UMC went down with via three strikeouts in the third inning. The Huskies got a one-out triple in the third, but was eventually thrown out trying to steal home to end the inning.
Mason Ruhlman (Sr. Algonac, MI) led off the fourth inning for the Golden Eagles with a double. He was advanced to third later in the inning, but was left stranded 90 feet from scoring.
Conner Richardson (Jr. Grand Forks, ND), continued to pitch well for the Golden Eagles in the fourth. Despite allowing a walk in the inning, he did not allow another hitter to reach to keep it at a one run deficit for UMC.
Another inning of three strikeouts for the Golden Eagles left them scoreless once again in the fifth.
A leadoff double got things started for the Huskies in the fifth inning leading to a few more runs. With one out, the runner stole third and then another double brought him in to score. That was followed up by another RBI base hit to left field to increase the lead to 3-0. Richardson picked off the runner at first for the second out of the inning. However, the Huskies got another single to keep the inning going. a failed pickoff attempt allowed the runner to score all the way from first on errors from the UMC pitcher and first baseman. Richardson did allow another double and walk in the inning but was able to bear down and get a strikeout to end the inning.
Now trailing 4-0, the Golden Eagles got a two-out walk from Ruhlman, but still found themselves without a run through six innings.
St. Cloud State continued their momentum from the fifth inning into the sixth as they added on five more runs with two outs in the inning. Jackson Schneider (Jr. Forest Lake) came in to relieve Richardson to start the inning and started off well with a strikeout, but the batter reached on a wild pitch third strike and got to second on a single. Schneider got the next two hitters out and was looking to end the inning without a run, but the next four batters reached base to get the Huskie offense going again. A stolen base and hit-by-pitch led to an RBI single that scored a second run off of a UMC error. A walk loaded the bases and then the next hitter cleared the bases with a three RBI double to make it 9-0. UMC went to the bullpen after the double and Joey Greco (Jr. Half Moon Bay, CA) was able to end the the inning by getting a flyout.
With game one of the doubleheader being just a seven inning game, UMC needed a big inning to extend the game. They mustered a two-out walk, but a groundout from a pinch hitter ended the game and gave St. Cloud State the victory by a 9-0 score.
UMC managed only four baserunners in the game with all of them coming in different innings. The Golden Eagles’ lone hit was a double and they walked three times while striking out 13 times which all game in the first six innings versus the starting pitcher.
FOR THE GAME ONE BOX SCORE, CLICK HERE.
GAME TWO –
St. Cloud State picked up right where they left off in game one holding the Golden Eagles scoreless with a 1-2-3 inning and then putting up three runs in the bottom of the first. Jayden Grover (Sr. Cooperstown, ND) got the start for UMC in game two and he retired the first two hitters after six pitches. The Huskies then got a walk that advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single up the middle. A walk added another runner and a double scored two more. After another walk, Grover got out of the inning with a groundout.
Both teams went scoreless in the second inning. UMC went down in order with three groundouts. Grover walked and hit the first two batters but got a double play to end the inning.
The Golden Eagles were finally able to get on the board for the first time in ten innings of play. Their leadoff hitter was retired but back-to-back doubles from Conner Fonger (Fr. Superior, WI) and Ben Bryant (So. Fargo, ND) got UMC into the scoring column. They were able to get another runner on with a two-out walk, but a groundout ended their threat.
The Huskies got a leadoff double to start their third inning, but Grover got the next three batters out to put up another scoreless inning.
In the fourth, UMC looked to continue the momentum they picked up from the previous inning with their first two batters reaching on an error and a walk. However, a baserunning error on a fly ball gave St. Cloud two quick outs before a strikeout ended the inning.
The Huskies got back to their scoring ways in the fourth. After a leadoff out, they got back-to-back hits, a double and single, to add onto their lead making it 4-1. UMC elected to bring in a reliever with Jake Osowski (Fr. East Grand Forks). He came in and got the final two outs of the inning to keep it at that three run deficit.
A one-out walk is all that the Golden Eagles got in the fifth inning as the game remained at 4-1.
The Huskies changed that score again in their half of the fifth. UMC allowed a leadoff walk came around to score quickly on the next batter’s double and two batters later a single brought in a second run to increase the Huskie lead to 6-1 after five innings.
Over the next three innings, the Golden Eagles continued to be stymied by the St. Cloud State pitching as all nine of the hitters to come to the plate were retired in order.
Osowski was able to put up zeros in the sixth and seventh innings for UMC before he was relieved in the eighth.
The Huskies added a couple more insurance runs in that eighth inning. A leadoff single was able to steal second and get to third on a wild pitch with two outs. Two walks loaded the bases and then a single brought in two runs to give the Huskies a 8-1 lead heading into the final inning.
With one last chance and needing seven runs to play more baseball, the Golden Eagles were struck out in order in the ninth inning and lost by a final score of 8-1 in game two.
FOR THE GAME TWO BOX SCORE, CLICK HERE.
The UMC Golden Eagles record moves to 17-5 overall and 12-5 in the Northern Sun Conference. St. Cloud State improves to 14-10 overall and 12-7 in the NSIC. These two teams will play again tomorrow in St. Cloud starting at noon to complete the weekend series.
