Photo courtesy of Peyton Bartsch Southwest Minnesota State infielder Cody Wichmann swings at a pitch during the first game of a baseball doubleheader against Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Wednesday.

MARSHALL — Chase McDaniel set a Southwest Minnesota State program record on Wednesday. The senior shortstop hit an RBI single in the seventh inning of game 1 of the Mustangs’ doubleheader against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe Augustana to reach 71 on the year, a single-season record for the Mustangs. Still, the Mustangs couldn’t generate enough offense to pull out a win as they dropped 11-5 and 10-3 to the Vikings.

An early barrage of Augustana runs was the difference-maker in the day’s first game. Jack Hines hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead and solo shots from Tate Meiners and Luke Ballweg and a three-run homer from Drey Dirksen helped the Vikings to a six-run second inning. The Mustangs’ defense and pitching improved from there but they were never able to get back in the game.

The Mustangs first got on the board in the top of the third when McDaniel drove in Brady Petron with a two-run home run, making the score 8-2. The homer was McDaniel’s 10th of the season, surpassing his previous single-season best of nine dingers that he set his junior year.

Shay Endres pitched the first five innings and recorded the loss for the Mustangs, falling to 3-2 on the season with the decision. Each of the 11 runs he allowed was earned but, after allowing seven hits, a walk and a hit batter in the first two innings, he settled down to allow just four hits for the remainder of his time on the mound.

Hines responded to SMSU’s first runs of the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. A pair of doubles from Meiners and Nick Banowetz and a single from Joe Kolbeck then gave Augustana an 11-2 lead after the fifth, its largest of the game.

J.D. Hennen improved to 4-0 on the season after pitching the first six innings for Augustana. He held SMSU to three hits and struck out seven batters without allowing a walk. 

Jerod Cyrus pitched the last inning for the Mustangs, allowing just one baserunner (a hit batter) while striking out another in a scoreless sixth.

The Mustangs started to rally when Hayden Kelberlau relieved Hennen to start the top of the seventh. Peyton Nash walked and was replaced by Brady Petron on first via a fielder’s choice. 

With two outs, Tauer and McDaniel hit consecutive singles to drive in one run and Isaac Nett walked to load the bases. The hit was McDaniel’s third of the game, making him the only Mustang with multiple hits. Hines led Augustana with three hits while Kolbeck, Meiners and Banowetz each had another two.

Owen Latendresse hit a two-run single to cut the deficit to 11-5 before Kai Taylor relieved Kelberlau. Taylor induced a pop out to third base in the next at-bat to end the game with an Augustana win. 

Game 2

Augustana 10, SMSU 3

The Mustangs struck first in the second game when Max Kalenberg hit a solo home run to lead off the second inning. Yet, after the Vikings retired each of the next three batters to end the top of the frame, they rallied in the bottom.

Dirksen and Meiners were each hit by a pitch with Ballweg drawing a walk in between to load up the bases. Banowetz then hit a two-run single to give Augustana the lead. Still, Bennett Knapper minimized the damage for the Mustangs with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to keep it a one-run game.

Two innings later, the Mustangs tied the game back up. With runners on second and third and one out, Caleb Gardow drilled a single up the middle to score Kalenberg. Jake Tauer drilled another line drive on the next play, but it was unfortunately caught and thrown to first for an inning-ending double play.

From there, Augustana drastically shifted the tenor of the game to the bottom of the fourth. Ballweg drew a leadoff walk and Meiners homered on the next at-bat to give the Vikings a 4-2 lead. An RBI double from Kolbeck, a three-run homer from Pat Mooney and a fielder’s choice capped off a seven-run inning for the Vikings to give Augustana a 9-2 lead. 

The Mustangs burned through three pitchers in the inning. Kolby Kiser relieved Knapper with one out. After allowing a home run, a double and a pair of singles, Kiser was relieved by Kobe Lovell, who closed out the inning. 

Ansen Dulas faced the first batter of the game, getting a strikeout before being relieved by Knapper. Knapper finished the day with six earned runs allowed over three innings pitched, falling to 1-2 on the season. He allowed four hits and a pair of walks while striking out four batters.

Riley Rothschild got the start for the Vikings, going 3 1/3 innings before being pulled with a no-decision. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk.

Ethan Cole recorded the win for Augustana, improving to 5-0 on the season. 

Augustana scored another run courtesy of an error in the eighth inning and Tauer singled in the ninth before scoring on a wild pitch to make the final score 10-3.

Lovell pitched 3 2/3 innings for SMSU, limiting the Vikings to three hits and no runs, while Cameron Jensen pitched the final inning, allowing one unearned run and no hits.

SMSU falls to 23-17 overall and 17-14 in the NSIC with the sweep. Still in sixth place with the top 8 teams qualifying for the NSIC tournament, the Mustangs will look to solidify their postseason slot when they head to Bismarck, N.D. for a weekend series against UMary. The Mustangs’ final regular-season road trip will begin with a Saturday doubleheader at noon.