BEMIDJI, Minn. – Whether fighting from behind or playing with the lead, the University of Mary baseball team was unable to find the winning combination on the final day of the season. Bemidji State University opened the day with a 6-4 win before the Beavers rallied past the Marauders 14-13 in the season finale.
Down 5-1 in the opener, the Marauders closed within a pair on a
Trenten Hove run-scoring double and a Beavers error in the fifth. BSU responded with a single run in the bottom of the fifth.
Mary made a run in the seventh. After opening the inning with a pair of strikeouts, the Marauders loaded the bases on an error, a single and a hit batter. Pinch hitter
Clay Bassingthwaite walked to force in a run and close the game to 6-4 before a strikeout finished the rally and the game.
Andrew Beyer and
AJ Schaefbauer led the Marauders with two hits each.
In his last collegiate start,
Michael Vollrath threw his second complete game of the season. He walked two and struck out two.
Jack Hagerty was 2-for-3 for with a home run for BSU, scoring twice and driving in three. Logan Riedel added three hits.
The final game was a 14-13 slugfest featuring five home runs and 34 hits. For the second straight game the Beavers started fast. After scoring three times in the opening inning of the first game, BSU crossed the plate five times to start the second.
Trailing 7-2 after three innings, the Marauders exploded for nine runs in the fourth as the Beavers defense imploded. After a
Cory Dixon three-run home run opened the scoring, four straight Mary runs scored on miscues by BSU. Freshman
Will Pettener blasted a two-run home run to finish the outburst and provide the Marauders an 11-7 lead.
Following a two-run home run for BSU's Bo Schmitz,
Tom Imholte singled in
Mason Schiff in the fifth for another unearned run and a 12-9 Mary lead.
Unable to hold off a hard-charging Beavers offense, the Marauders found themselves down 13-12 after seven before knotting the game in the eighth. With two outs and the bases loaded Dixon singled to left on a 1-1 pitch. Beyer scored but Pettener was out at home to end the inning and the rally.
Despite a hit and a walk in the ninth, the Marauders were unable to push across a go-ahead run. The Beavers had no such issues. After two singles and a fielders choice loaded the bases, a fly to right by Hagerty scored Riedel with the winning run.
Dixon led the Marauders with four RBIs, finishing the game 2-for-5 with a home run and a run scored. Schiff was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Pettener was 2-for-4 with his first collegiate home run, two runs scored and two runs driven in. Bassingthwaite and Beyer both scored twice.
Hanowski led the Beavers with five hits in six at bats. He scored three runs and drove in one. Riedel was 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Schmitz knocked in three runs.
The Marauders finish the season 8-42 overall and 6-30 in the NSIC.
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