TUCSON, Ariz. – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team closed its spring trip on Sunday with a pair of victories, defeating Hamline, 10-4, and Macalester, 10-0. SMSU finished the trip with a 6-2 record and is now 8-8 overall on the season.

In the opener versus Hamline, SMSU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third behind a Chase McDaniel leadoff walk and a run-scoring double by Jaxon Haase.

The Mustangs added three runs in the fourth with Jake Tauer delivering a two-run single and McDaniel pushing across another run with an RBI base hit.

The Pipers cut the deficit in half in the home half of the fourth collecting three straight two-out singles to make the score 4-2.

SMSU added a run in the fifth with Peyton Nash and Caleb Gardow hitting one-out singles. Following a balk call, Brady Petron lofted a sac fly to left to plate Nash and push the Mustang advantage to 5-2.

The lead expanded in the sixth with McDaniel starting the rally with a triple to center field. Following a walk to Max Kalenberg, Haase smashed a two-run double and moments later Keenan Wenzel hit a run-scoring to give SMSU an 8-2 lead.

Hamline would make the score 8-4 after eight, but SMSU score two more in the ninth with McDaniel hitting a sac fly and Haase driving in a run on a fielder’s choice.

Ryan Chmielewski (2-1) started for the Mustangs and earned the win pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts, three walks and one hit batter.

SMSU closed the opener with 16 hits with five for extra bases. Tauer and McDaniel had three hits each and two RBIs, while Brady Petron, Wenzel, Nash, Haase each collected two hits. Haase closed the game with four RBIs.

In game two, SMSU started the scoring in the third inning with Brandon Hinrichsen being hit by a pitch with one out and moving to third on a double by Isaac Nett. McDaniel plated the first run with a ground out before Haase drilled a two-out RBI single to center making the score 2-0.

SMSU put together a big inning in the fifth with the help of the long ball. Bennett Knapper started the frame with a first-pitch home run well over the right field fence for his first career home run in a Mustang uniform. With one out, Nett double to left field and moments later McDaniel smacked an RBI single. The Mustangs capped the inning scoring on a throwing error to allow McDaniel to score and push the margin to 5-0.

The Mustangs put the game away in the sixth with a four-run frame. Cody Wichmann walked and advanced to second after Hichrichsen was hit by a pitch. Nett drove in a run with a single before a double steal pushed across the second run of the inning. McDaniel and Haas would later hit back-to-back RBI doubles to make the score 9-0.

McDaniel hit another RBI double in the eighth for SMSU’s final run of the game.

Carter Petron (2-1) started and tossed his scheduled three innings racking up four strikeouts while allowing two hits. Ansen Dulas cruised with three shutout innings in relief recording seven strikeouts. Kobe Lovell, Will Hoenermann and Brady Brosz combined to pitch the final two innings with four strikeouts.

SMSU smacked out 14 hits in the win with McDaniel and Nett both finishing with four hits each. Nett scored four runs, while McDaniel drove in four runs.

SMSU will now return to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with its scheduled home opener on March 23-24 facing Minot State in a four-game series at Legion Field.