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WAYNE, Neb. -- The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team concluded its four-game weekend road trip at Wayne State on Sunday splitting a doubleheader for the second straight day, losing game one, 8-4, before holding on for a 7-6 win in game two.
Sunday's first game counted as a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest, while game two was a 7-inning non-conference game. With the victory in game one, WSC won two of the three NSIC games on the weekend.
With Sunday's split, SMSU is 5-6 overall, 3-5 NSIC, while WSC is now 5-7 overall, 4-4 NSIC.
In the opener, WSC used a big two-out rally in the fourth inning to score seven runs and earn the series win.
The Wildcats started the scoring with a run in the second off SMSU starter Jeremiah Van De Steeg and maintained the 1-0 advantage until the fourth. SMSU started its rally with one out as Jake Hendricks singled and Matt Bezdicek was hit by a pitch before Derek Smith reached via an error to score Hendricks and tie the game at 1-1. Kip Gronholz and Robbie Smith followed with back-to-back RBI singles to put the Mustangs in the lead at 3-1.
WSC answered in a big way in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs on six hits and taking advantage of one walk and one hit by pitch. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 3-2 with two outs following a ground out but an RBI single tied the game at 3-3 and ended the day for Van De Steeg. Sam Nascak entered in relief for the Mustangs, but he failed to retire a batter as the Wildcats used a hit by pitch, a single, a walk and a bases-clearing double to build a 7-3 lead. Hayden Molva replaced Nascak and allowed a run-scoring single before a ground out ended the rally.
SMSU was held in-check until the ninth inning when Chase McDaniel reached on a fielder's choice to score Robbie Smith.
Van De Steeg (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound for SMSU lasting 3 2/3 innings allowing four hits and four runs. Teddy Broxtermann was solid in a relief role firing the final 3 2/3 innings giving up just one hit with three strikeouts.
SMSU was held to six hits with Gronholz finishing 2 for 4, while Nathan Kuhn, Hendricks, Smith, and Haase each collecting one hit.
In game two, SMSU freshman pitcher Ansen Dulas earned his first career victory tossing the first four innings and limiting the Wildcats to one run on four hits with six strikeouts.
WSC scored the game's first run before SMSU answered with seven straight runs to build a 7-1 lead.
Hunter Krommenhoek started a big second inning with a single, was followed by Robbie Smith getting hit by a pitch, before Keenan Wenzel loaded the bases with an infield single. McDaniel put SMSU in the lead with a two-run single before Mason Rummel laid down a sac bunt to score another run and put the Mustangs in front 3-1.
SMSU added to the lead in the third as Max Kalenburg had an infield RBI single to score Gronholz, while Wenzel scored another run with a sac fly to make the score 5-1.
Rummel led-off the fourth with a walk and eventually reached third base on an Andy Andresen single. Rummel would later sprint home on a wild pitch, while later in the frame Krommenhoek hit a sac fly to score Andresen and push the margin to 7-1.
WSC wouldn't go away and scored three runs off SMSU reliever Brady Brosz to cut the deficit to 7-4 after five innings. The Wildcats would add a run in the sixth to make the score 7-5 and had the tying run at first base but SMSU pitcher James Hardy ended the rally with a pick-off to keep SMSU with a two-run lead.
WSC started the seventh inning with a single which summoned Jared Tschetter into pitch for SMSU. The Wildcats would score a run taking advantage of two wild pitches, but Tschetter retired all three batters he faced to seal the win and earn his second save of the season.
Both teams were held to six hits in the nightcap with Wenzel pacing the Mustang offense with two hits, while Andresen, Krommenhoek, Kalenburg and McDaniel each had one.
Southwest Minnesota State will return home to play in Marshall for the first time since May 4, 2019, when they open a three-game series at Legion Field versus Concordia-St. Paul. Friday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.
Saturday
SMSU 6, Wayne State 0
Wayne State 11, SMSU 5
WAYNE, Neb. - Southwest Minnesota State University left-hander John Bezdicek tossed a two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts to help the Mustangs earn a 6-0 victory over Wayne State in game one and earn a split of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex. WSC bounced back in game two, taking advantage of three errors to score seven unearned runs and earn an 11-5 victory.
SMSU is now 4-5 overall, 3-4 NSIC, while WSC is 4-6 overall, 3-4 NSIC.
The shutout for Bezdicek was the third of his career as he earned his first win of the season. He held the Wildcats without a hit for 5 1/3 innings and closed the game walking two.
The victory also snapped a 15-game losing streak for SMSU in the series dating back to April 13, 2014.
Matt Bezdicek led the SMSU offense in game one going 3 for 4 with three RBIs, while Andy Andresen added two hits. Brodie Smith had a hit, an RBI and walked twice for the Mustangs.
SMSU's first seven batters of the game were retired before Jaxon Haase reached base via a hit by pitch in the third. Andy Andresen followed with a single to center field that was misplayed by the fielder allowing Haase to race around the bases and score the game's first run. SMSU would later load the bases with two outs before Bezdicek came through with a two-run single to make the score 3-0.
SMSU pushed the margin to 4-0 in the fourth as Chase McDaniel walked, stole second and came around to score on a two-out single by Smith.
Robbie Smith scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to make the score 5-0, before Bezdicek hit a run-scoring double in the seventh to score Jake Hendricks to extend the lead to 6-0.
In game two, the Mustangs started the scoring in the first as Brodie Smith reached second via error and scored on an RBI single by Nathan Kuhn.
WSC answered with a run in the bottom of the first and then took advantage of an SMSU error to score three unearned runs to build a 4-1 lead after two.
The Wildcats pushed across a run in the third and added three in the fourth and two more in the fifth to blow the game open.
Trailing 10-1 in the sixth, Kuhn doubled with one out and would later score via a WSC error. In the seventh, the Mustangs cut the deficit to 10-4 on a Max Kalenburg two-run single to score Robbie Smith and Andresen.
Down 11-4 in the ninth, SMSU scored its final run as Hunter Krommenhoek coaxed a bases loaded walk that scored Keenan Wenzel.
SMSU starter Jake Wensmann (2-1) lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs (two earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Shawn William--the second of three relievers--tossed 3 1/3 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
The Mustangs finished game two with eight hits as Kuhn paced the club going 3 for 4, while Kip Gronholz was 2 for 3.
-- Content courtesy
of SMSU Athletic
Communications