Independent file photo: Southwest Minnesota State University's Brock Woitalla makes a throw during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference baseball game against Minnesota Crookston on April 13, 2025 in Marshall. SMSU took on UMary over the weekend in Bismarck, N.D., dropping all four games.

BISMARCK, N.D. — The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team wasn’t able to bounce back in the second doubleheader of its weekend series against UMary on Saturday in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. After falling 5-1 in each of their two games against the Marauders on Friday, SMSU lost 6-2 and 7-5 on Saturday.

The pair of doubleheaders were originally slated to be played on Saturday and Sunday but were moved up due to weather.

SMSU took an early 2-0 lead on a Connor Davis double in the first game, but the Marauders plated three runs in the bottom of the first with three runs and never looked back, handing Ryan Bell the loss for SMSU.

In the second game, UMary pulled ahead early with three runs off SMSU starting pitcher Tyler Nesheim and later led 5-0 before settling for a 7-5 win.

Levi Lampert logged three of SMSU’s six hits in the first game while Jared Cortez and Davis added another two each in the second game.

SMSU falls to 13-11 (3-9 NSIC) on the season and next hosts St. Cloud State for its home opener at Legion Field this weekend. Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday’s game is slated for noon.

GAME 1

SMSU’s lone runs of the first game came in the top of the first, when a Lampert single and a Cortez walk put runners on first and second, and Davis capitalized with a two-run double.

UMary answered in the bottom of the first when Luke Rhee was hit by a pitch and Bryce Leafgren singled up the middle to put runners on the corners with one out. Marcus Butts reached on a fielder’s choice to drive in one run, and a Kieran Gaffney single and a Hank Griffin double each pushed across another run for a 3-2 UMary lead.

Bell fell to 3-3 on the season for SMSU, giving up four earned runs on five hits with a strikeout and three hit batters. Tad Tjaden and Carson Bougher each got one out in relief, with Bougher getting tagged for another earned run on two hits, while Austin Dent came up with a pair of strikeouts to close out the game.

The Marauders increased their lead in the third when Isaac Pegors singled, and Leafgren and Butts were hit by pitches to load the bases with no outs. Gaffney drove in one run on a fielder’s choice, but a 6-4 double-play ended the inning.

Justin Hanson earned the win for UMary, giving up two earned runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings.

In relief, Ryan Chamberlain earned the save with four scoreless innings. Chamberlain struck out three Mustangs while giving up a hit and a walk.

Pegors hit an RBI single in the seventh and Cullen Wilson did the same in the eighth to give UMary an extra pair of insurance runs.

Griffin led UMary’s hitters with two singles and a double in the game.

GAME 2

The Mustangs fell behind early in the second game of their doubleheader. Mikey Ramirez led off the bottom of the first with a triple and Rhee was hit by a pitch on the ensuing at-bat to put runners on the corners.

With one out, Gaffney reached on a Mustang throwing error to push across the go-ahead run and Andrew Linn hit a two-run single to bring the score to 3-0 before Nesheim struck out consecutive batters to get out of the inning.

Nesheim tossed the first three innings for SMSU, giving up three earned runs and one unearned run to fall to 1-1 on the year. He struck out five batters while giving up five hits, a pair of walks and hitting a batter.

Lincoln Vasgaard gave up one unearned run on a walk in an inning of relief, Tad Tjaden gave up a pair of earned runs on two hits while getting one out, and Ryan Dalager closed out the game with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out three batters with a walk and a hit batter.

Ramirez hit an RBi single in the second and scored on a fielding error in the fourth to bolster UMary’s lead to 5-0 before SMSU broke the drought.

The Mustangs got on the scoreboard in the fifth when Henry Hammrich singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a passed ball. A Cortez walk put runners on the corners with two outs and Davis capitalized with a two-run double to cut the deficit to 5-2, and another hit batter put runners on the corners before a fielder’s choice ended the rally.

The momentum didn’t last long, however, as Linn hit an RBI triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to bring UMary’s cushion back to five runs.

Tristan Eberle pitched three scoreless innings in his start for UMary, striking out five batters while limiting the Mustangs to one hit, and Kaden Coldwell and Sam Hayen each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

In between Coldwell and Hayen, Brody Wrench gave up a pair of earned runs over one inning on the hill and Derek Riesberry gave up another pair of earned runs while getting just one out after taking over for Hayen. Yet, Jack Thompson retired two of the three batters he faced to earn the save.

SMSU made one last push to force extras in the top of the seventh. Lane Moline reached on an error and Lampert walked, putting two runners on when Cortez singled in Moline.

Tanner Rezny singled in Lampert with one out, putting runners on the corners when Thompson took over for Riesberry on the hill. Evan Behn drove in Cortez on another fielder’s choice and Carter Lang reached on an error to put the tying run on first, but a Brock Woitalla ground out ended the game.

Linn led UMary at the plate with a triple, two singles and three RBIs while Ramirez added another triple, a single and an RBI. Hudson Sheldon also tripled for the Marauders.