Photo by Jake McNeill: Southwest Minnesota State second baseman Jared Cortez (15) celebrates as he runs down the third baseline toward teammates Levi Lampert (7) and Caleb Gardow during the first game of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference mens baseball doubleheader against Minot State on March 27, 2025 at Milroy Yankee Field. SMSU took on Carthage (Wis.) in Tucson, Ariz. on Tuesday, pulling out a 15-10 win.

TUCSON, Ariz. — In a highly competitive offensive game, the Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team kept the good times rolling by picking up its eighth-straight win after defeating Carthage (Wis.) 15-10 Tuesday afternoon. With the win, the Mustangs complete their spring trip in Tucson, Arizona, with a perfect 6-0 record.

SMSU’s Tanner Rezny hit his third homerun of the season in the ninth inning out to right field, which also scored Connor Davis for the game’s biggest hit.

Jared Cortez had a team-high four RBIs and five hits, including a triple, and accounted for a pair of runs. Davis and Brock Woitalla shared a team-high three runs each.

The Mustangs went through six pitchers throughout the day, as did Carthage with five, started by Tyler Nesheim in the first two innings.

Nesheim tossed four strikeouts, allowing no hits, runs or walks.

Austin Dent also pitched a pair of innings, in the fourth and fifth, and finished with one strikeout with no walks while allowing six hits and five runs. Cody Wichmann, Jameson Quinn, Carson Bougher and Lincoln Vasgaard pitched an inning each.

SMSU took an early 9-0 lead behind a six-run second inning, and continued to score sporadically the rest of the afternoon. Carthage slightly out-hit the Mustangs 12-11 on the day.

After a scoreless opening inning, SMSU caught fire and scored its six runs off two hits for a 6-0 lead in the second.

Cortez’s RBI triple scored Lampert, who was initially walked, which accounted for the final run of the inning. Caden King also hit a single in the rally, while Davis was hit by a pitch and Rezny grounded out in the field but still scored King.

A two-run RBI single from Cortez added another two runs in the third inning, along with an RBI sacrifice bunt from King.

Carthage began to find a response midway through the game and cut into a 9-5 deficit, but SMSU scored another three runs in the top of the sixth inning, along with one in the eight and two in the ninth to ultimately save the win while Carthage continued to chip away as well.

SMSU was also hit by a pitch seven times at the plate, while the Mustangs threw relatively cleanly with just one hit by a pitch. The Mustangs collectively also gave up just two walks, while Carthage allowed nine on the day.

SMSU improves to 12-5 overall and 2-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The Mustangs will next have their home opener for a three-game conference series this weekend at Legion Field in Marshall against Concordia-St. Paul (8-9, 3-3 NSIC).

The Golden Bears and SMSU will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:30 p.m., with the second game to follow. First pitch on Sunday is slated for 12 p.m.