Photo by Samantha Davis: The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team celebrates Henry Hammrich's (4) ninth-inning grand slam in the second game of a doubleheader against Minot State on March 28, 2025 in Milroy. SMSU took on Dakota Wesleyan in Tucson, Ariz. on Thursday and Friday, earning a pair of wins.

Tucson, Ariz. — The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team picked up a pair of wins in the past 24 hours against Dakota Wesleyan University at the Tucson Invitational, extending its win-streak to four games. The Mustangs earned a walk-off victory on Thursday, followed by a mercy-rule victory over the Tigers Friday afternoon.

In Thursday’s walk-off, SMSU came from behind and a Henry Hammrich RBI single to score Connor Davis in the bottom of the ninth inning accounted for the Mustangs’ walk-off thriller.

SMSU then took care of business on Friday in seven innings, powered by a five-run second inning and another six in the seventh.

The Mustangs move to 8-5 overall and 2-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, and will remain in Arizona and look to get another win over DWU (9-4) today with an 11 a.m. first pitch back at the Kino Sports Complex. SMSU will then face Hamline (4-3) on Sunday at 3 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAME

SMSU 8, DWU 7

SMSU faced a 4-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the eighth inning against the Tigers on Thursday.

The Mustangs brought in a trio of runs to tie the score up 4-4 on three hits, with Levi Lampert, Jared Cortez and Evan Behns all scoring. But, DWU scored another three runs in the top of the ninth to take back a 7-4 lead.

Yet, SMSU wasn’t done fighting and had four hits in the bottom of the ninth which was enough to get Davis home to complete the comeback.

Davis initially got on base with a single down the first-base line, and advanced to second base after Behn was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat. He then made his way over to third following a Nathan Wheeler walk, just as Hammrich stepped up to the plate for his game-winning RBI single.

SMSU scored the first two runs in the rally to tie the score 7-7 with Caden King and Cortez running home off Davis’ single and Wheeler’s walk, respectively.

Tyler Nesheim spent 5 2/3 innings on the mound for the Mustangs, and finished with allowing four hits, four runs, two earned, a pair of walks with nine strikeouts. Tad Tjaden tossed two innings, with two hits and five strikeouts.

Offensively, Lampert led the way with a team-high three hits along with two runs and an RBI. David and Hammrich each had a pair of RBIs as well.

FRIDAY’S GAME

SMSU 14, DWU 2 (7 inn)

Cody Wichmann put together another strong performance Friday afternoon in his six innings spent on the mound as the bats were also connecting for everyone as the Mustangs cruised for a run-rule victory over DWU.

Wichmann allowed four hits with two runs and one walk while striking out six batters, and held the Tigers scoreless for the first five innings.

Lampert led the Mustangs with three runs along with two hits and a pair of RBIs, while Davis finished with a team-high three hits along with his two runs and two RBIs as well.

Overall, SMSU finished with 11 hits and an impressive 13 RBIs to the Tigers five hits and two RBIs.

SMSU scored promptly in the first inning with Lampert going home off a Behn ground-out RBI, before the Mustangs rattled off five hits for five more runs in the second inning to take a 6-0 lead.

Brock Woitalla, Lampert, Cortez, Davis and Tanner Rezny accounted for the five hits, highlighted by a two-run double RBI from Davis to left-center field.

The next three innings went scoreless for both teams, as the Tigers and Mustangs both brought in two runs in the sixth inning.

But, SMSU ended the day early with another six runs in the top of the seventh and grabbed a quick three outs in the bottom of the frame.

Tyler Froland connected for a three-run RBI double down the third-base line to score Cortez, Lampert and Moline during the rally, who was able to come home shortly after to score SMSU’s final run of the day. Froland got the third on a wild pitch and scored off a Rezny sacrifice fly out to right field.