Photo by Sam Thiel SMSU’s Brandon Woznak delivers a pitch during game two of their doubleheader against Bemidji State University on Saturday. The Mustangs earned a split with BSU to end the season.

MARSHALL – Jake Hendricks hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to lift Southwest Minnesota State to a come-from-behind 5-4 victory in game one of an NSIC doubleheader over Bemidji State on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. BSU salvaged the final game of the four-game series earning a 14-6 victory in game two in the final game of the season for both clubs.

SMSU, which closed the season winning five of its last six and winning its last two conference four-game series, finishes the season with a record of 17-23 overall, 12-18 NSIC. BSU ends the season with a record of 8-36 overall, 6-22 NSIC.

Saturday marked the final games for SMSU seniors, Josh Cook, Liam Lopez, Chase Meyer, Teo Rangel, Michael Revenig, Shane Sellner and Brandon Woznak.

In the opener, BSU built a 4-1 lead in the third inning before SMSU rallied to tie the game with a run in the third and two more in the fourth.

The game remained tied until Hendricks smacked an 0-2 pitch over the centerfield wall for SMSU’s second straight walk-off victory. It was Hendricks’ fifth home run of the season.

SMSU took a 1-0 lead in the first as Nathan Kuhn and Ben Heichel started the inning with singles. Following a ground out and a strikeout, Brady Lanoue walked to load the bases. Matt Bezdicek came through with an infield single to third to score Kuhn and put the Mustangs in the lead.

BSU moved into the lead in the third inning, scoring four runs on two hits and taking advantage of an SMSU error, which led to three unearned runs.

SMSU cut the lead in half in the third as Hendricks worked a one-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Lanoue ripped a single to center to score Hendricks and cut the deficit to 4-2.

SMSU kept the offense going in the fourth and eventually tied the game. With one out, Kuhn was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Heichel. Following a ground out that moved both runners up a base, Hendricks lashed a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 4-4 and setting up the late-game heroics by Hendricks.

Starting pitcher Cole Petersen tossed a strong six innings for the Mustangs, allowing just one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Senior Teo Rangel tossed a scoreless top of the seventh to pick up his first collegiate victory for the Mustangs.

Game two started with a bang for SMSU in the first, as Kuhn led off the inning with a double and moved to third on an infield single by Heichel. Sellner, playing in his final game in a Mustang uniform, then stepped to the plate and crushed a three-run home over the left field fence to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.

BSU starting pitcher Jackson Back, who entered the game 0-5 with an 11.08 ERA, then settled in a groove and retired 15 of the next 16 batters to keep the Beavers in the game and eventually to the victory.

BSU tied the game in the second inning, pushing across three runs, one unearned, on three hits and one SMSU error.

The Beavers took the lead for good in the fourth with the help of a double, a bloop single and sac fly to make the score 4-3.

BSU added to the lead behind a grand slam from Bazil Zuehlke, a solo homer from Jack Wittwer and an RBI single from Connor McNallan in the fifth inning to make the score 10-3.

The lead moved to 12-3 in the sixth as the Beavers pushed across two runs on four hits.

SMSU cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases behind a Heichel walk and back-to-back singles by Sellner and Hendricks. Jayden Fleck pushed across the first run with a fielder’s choice, while Matt Bezdicek hit a sac fly to score another run and make the score 12-5.

SMSU’s final run of the season came in the eighth inning on a double play ground ball by Hendricks to score Heichel.

Heichel and Sellner led SMSU’s six-hit offense with a pair of hits each, while Heichel scored three runs and Sellner crossed the plate twice. Heichel, who led SMSU with a .349 batting average, hit in a double in the eighth inning for his 19th of the season, one shy of the school single-season record.

Jeremy Stouffer (1-3) took the loss for the Mustangs, tossing four-plus innings and allowing six runs (five earned) with two strikeouts and one walk.

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