KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Cody Wichmann tossed a nine-inning complete game, allowing an unearned run with six strikeouts, to pace the Southwest Minnesota State baseball team to a 5-1 victory over Minot State in the opening game of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference three-game series on Monday afternoon.

The game was played at the Homefield Baseball Complex. The second game was canceled due to cold temperatures. The two teams conclude the series on Tuesday with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Both games will be league contests.

Wichmann (1-0) dominated closing the game tossing 100 pitches with 72 for strikes and carried a shutout into the ninth. He finished the game allowing six hits and one walk.

SMSU, which has won three straight and improves to 3-2 overall, 2-2 NSIC, cracked out 10 hits in the victory with Levi Lampert, Jared Cortez, Tyler Froland and Nathan Wheeler each collecting a pair of hits. Evan Behn had a base and closed with three RBIs.

SMSU opened the scoring in the top of the first with Lampert drilling a leadoff double before scoring on a ground out by Behn.

The Mustangs made the score 2-0 in the fifth with Froland drilling a leadoff double and scoring two batters later on a Wheeler double down the left field line. The lead moved to 3-0 in the seventh with a big two-out rally as Henry Hammrich doubled after the first two batters were retired before Lampert followed with a run-scoring base hit to right field.

MSU (1-4, 0-1 NSIC) put together a rally in the seventh with back-to-back singles to open the frame, but Wichmann coaxed a pair of pop outs sandwiched around a strikeout to keep the lead at 3-0.

SMSU added two big insurance runs in the ninth with Wheeler hitting a one-out single before Hammrich and Connor Davis walked to load the bases. After a strikeout for the second out, Behn came through with a clutch two-run single to right field to extend the margin to 5-0.

The Beavers would take advantage of a fielding error; while adding two hits and a sac fly to score their lone run of the game in the bottom of the ninth.

SMSU has now won six straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings with MSU since 2023.