Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BISMARCK, N.D. – The University of Mary held on tightly for a win in the opener before rallying for a victory in the nightcap to sweep Minot State University in a Northern Sun baseball doubleheader. A strong start by Michael Vollrath led the Marauders to a 4-3 win in game one before clutch at bats led to a 6-5 Mary win in the second contest.
 
Making his school-record 33^rd career start on the mound, Vollrath managed to work out of multiple jams in five innings of work to maintain Mary's early lead. The senior lefthander was bailed out of a bases full jam in the second when Ethen Meide started a third-to-first double play to end the inning. A Vollrath strikeout in the third left two Beavers in scoring position and a fly ball for the final out in the fourth left the bases full.
 
After allowing a run in the fifth while stranding two more Minot State baserunners, Vollrath was lifted in the sixth following walks to the first two Beavers hitters. On in relief, freshman Will Pettener hit two batters and walked one to bring home two runs. With the bases full and one out, first baseman Clay Bassinthwaite snared a line drive and doubled a runner off first for an inning ending double play, preserving a 4-3 Marauders lead.
 
Freshman Kenny Slominski earned his first collegiate save by pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Despite allowing a one out double and a two-out walk, Slominski induced a fly out to left for the final out, stranding two more Beavers on base.
 
For the game the Beavers left 14 runners on base, an average of two per inning.
 
The Marauders scored runs in four straight innings. Cory Dixon scored on a groundout by Bassingthwaite in the second before a Beavers throwing error allowed A.J. Schaefbauer to score in the third. Bassingthwaite then doubled home Dixon in the fourth. After MSU scored a run in the fifth, Mary responded in the bottom of the inning with another solo run. Trenten Hove tripled to right center and scored on a single through the left side of a drawn in infield.
 
Coming off a 6-for-7 performance in a double header at Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, Dixon was 2-for-3 against Minot State. He scored twice. Bassingthwaite finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a double. Meide also was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Vollrath allowed three runs, seven hits and seven walks in five innings for his second win of the season. He struck out three.
 
In addition to setting the school mark for career starts, he also set the career record for innings pitched today, reaching a total of 192.
 
Paul Vogelsang led Minot State with three hits and Micah Holmen added two.
 
Josh Larsen struck out 11 Marauders and allowed just two earned runs in six innings for MSU.
 
An early power display by the Beavers in game two forced the Marauders to find a different way to win than in the opener.
 
U-Mary again jumped out to the lead as Mason Schiff doubled home the first run and Sean Hennen singled home a second for a 2-0 Marauders lead after the opening inning.
 
Minot State responded with four runs in the second. After Jordan Schulz opened the inning with a solo home run to right, a Mary defensive miscue with two outs resulted in a three-run home run to left field for Brad Rolff.
 
Jared Young led off the third with a solo shot to right for the Beavers, increasing the visitor's lead to 5-2.
 
U-Mary's pitching then took control of the game. Starting pitcher Austin Ell rebounded to strike out two hitters in the third before pitching a scoreless fourth. Nicholas Stobbe pitched a scoreless fifth inning before McKeon Meyhoff pitched two dominant innings. The junior lefty struck out the side in the sixth and threw a scoreless seventh.
 
Running into issues in the eighth, Jake Johnson came on to strand two runners before tossing a perfect ninth that featured two strikeouts.
 
Looking for a chance to overtake the Beavers, the Marauders began chipping away at their deficit in the sixth. A throwing error sent leadoff hitter Drew Feuerbach to second, where he scored on a single by Sean Hennen.
 
The Marauders biggest inning of the day came in the eighth. Down 5-3, Feuerbach singled to left and Hennen grounded a ball through the left side to open the inning. Dixon followed with the longest single of the year. Crushing the ball to deep center field, Kyle Williamson was unable to maintain control of the ball while attempting to make an over-the-shoulder catch in front of the fence. With both runners holding to see if a catch was made, both could only move up 90 feet.
 
A bases-loaded walk to Bassingthwaite scored the first run of the inning. Consecutive groundouts to second by Imholte and A.J. Schaefbauer then scored the tying and go-ahead runs for Mary.
 
Johnson locked down the win with a perfect ninth.
 
Hennen finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs to headline the Marauders offense. Six other Mary players also had hits.
 
Meyhoff struck out pitched five hitters in 2.1 innings. He allowed no runs on two hits and two walks. Johnson struck out two hitters and gave up one walk in 1.2 innings to pick up his first collegiate win.
 
Overall the three Marauders relievers combined for five shutout innings, striking out eight batters, three hits and two walks. For the game the Marauders struck out 13 hitters.
 
Young and Trevor Gust both posted two hits for Minot State.
 
The doubleheader sweep was the first for the Marauders at home since taking two from the University of Winnipeg last year on April 17. The last time Mary swept a Northern Sun doubleheader was April 6, 2013, against Bemidji State University.
 
The Marauders continue an eight game home stand on Saturday, April 25, against the University of Minnesota Duluth at 1:30 p.m. on Alumni Day.
 
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