JOPLIN, Mo. — The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team began its 2020 season with a three-game series against Missouri Southern State University. The Mustangs fell in all three games by scores of 9-2 and 15-5 in seven innings on Saturday and 3-1 in 11 innings on Sunday.

Saturday

Missouri Southern State, ranked No. 17 in the country, spoiled opening day for Southwest Minnesota State, using a late game rally in game one and then snapping a tie midway through game two, to sweep a doubleheader on Saturday at Warren Turner Field.

The Lions snapped a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth, scoring seven runs on six hits, including smacking three home runs to earn a 9-2 victory in game one and then broke a 5-5 tie with a two-run fifth inning to win 15-5 in game two.

MSSU improves to 12-1 overall and is now 7-0 versus NSIC teams this season.

In game one, SMSU held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, but the Lions rallied with eight unanswered runs to earn the victory. MSSU finished the game belting five home runs and collecting nine hits.

SMSU starting pitcher John Bezdicek was solid for the Mustangs tossing five innings and allowing just three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Spencer Rudnik came on in relief in the sixth inning and suffered the loss, allowed seven runs (four earned) on five hits.

Matt Bezdicek led SMSU’s five-hit offense with a pair of hits, including a double and a run scored. Nathan Kuhn, Andy Andresen and Brodie Smith each had one hit for the Mustangs.

MSSU starting pitcher Zach Parish, the 2019 MIAA Pitcher of the Year, improved to 4-0 on the season firing six innings and allowed just two unearned runs on four this with 12 strikeouts.

SMSU scored the game’s first run as Kuhn led-off the season with a single and later scored on a wild pitch.

MSSU tied the game in the second with a solo home run, but SMSU regained the lead in the fourth inning. Matt Bezdicek smacked a one-out double down the leftfield and later moved to third on a failed pick-off attempt. He then scored moments later on another Parish wild pitch to give SMSU a 2-1 lead.

The Lions failed to score in the fourth, but would tie the game in the fifth inning with another solo home run to make the score 2-2. In the sixth frame against Rudnik, the Lions hit back-to-back-back home runs to build a 6-2 advantage, before taking advantage of an SMSU error to tack on three more runs.

In game two, MSSU scored a run off of SMSU starting Justin Clark in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead.

SMSU tied the score in the top of the second as Brady Lanoue drilled an opposite field home run to left field for the team’s first long-ball of the season.

Jake Wensmann came on in relief of Clark in the second inning and took advantage of two SMSU errors and added four hits to plate four runs and regain the lead at 5-1.

SMSU trimmed the deficit to 5-2 in the fourth as Kip Gronholz walked to begin the inning and later score on an RBI single by Christopher Berg.

After Wensmann tossed a second straight shutout inning, SMSU rallied to tie the game in the fifth inning. Trent Fredenburg started the rally with a single and moved to second on a walk to Matt Bezdicek. Lanoue followed with an RBI single to cut the MSSU advantage to 5-3. Bezdicek would later score on a wild pitch to pull the Mustangs to within 5-4, before Berg tied the score with a sac bunt to plate Lanoue.

The game wasn’t tied for long as MSSU used a two-out, two-run triple in the home half of the fifth inning to go back ahead at 7-5.

SMSU threatened in the top of the sixth, putting runners at second and third with two outs, but a ground out ended the frame.

The Lions the put the game away with a pair of runs on two hits in the sixth and scored six runs on three hits and one SMSU error in the seventh to end the game via run-rule.

Wensmann (0-1) took the loss for the Mustangs as he surrendered six runs (four earned) on seven hits in four innings with five strikeouts.

Fredenburg and Lanoue led the Mustangs’ eight-hit attack with two hits each. Lanoue and Berg both finished with a pair of RBIs, while Lanoue scored a pair of runs.

Sunday

For the third straight game, the Southwest Minnesota State baseball team battled No. 17 Missouri Southern State into the late stages of the game, but MSSU rallied with a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth and then used a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th to defeat SMSU 3-1 on Sunday morning at Warren Turner Field.

MSSU is now 13-1 overall after completing the three-game sweep, while SMSU drops to 0-3 in its season-opening series.

Jeremiah Van De Steeg was outstanding on the mound for the Mustangs, firing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in his first career appearance in a Mustang uniform.

The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when Brady Lanoue led-off the frame with a solo home run, for his second round-tripper of the season. The Mustangs had a great chance to add to the lead later in the inning, loading the bases with one out, but a pair of ground outs kept the score at 1-0.

Teddy Broxterman came on in relief for SMSU and pitched a scoreless eighth, but the Lions’ Troy Gagan connected for a solo home run to start the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 1-1.

Broxterman continued to pitch into the 11th, before leaving following a one-out walk. Jared Tschetter stepped to the mound for the Mustangs and after coaxing a pop out, Tommy Stevenson came to the plate and hit the first-pitch over the left field wall for the walk-off victory.

Southwest Minnesota State continues non-conference play on Thursday morning with a doubleheader versus Minnesota Duluth at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It will be SMSU’s first-ever games at the stadium.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications