BISMARCK, N.D. – Three innings proved the difference for the University of Mary in a pair of home losses to Bemidji State University. While the Marauders crossed the plate just once on the day, the Beavers compiled three multi-run innings on their way 7-1 and 8-0 road wins.
The Marauders were limited to just nine hits in the two games while the Beavers posted a dozen in each contest.
Scoreless through two innings in the opener, Bemidji State plated all the runs it needed in the third. After a single, a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt moved both baserunners into scoring position, Tyler Nelson singled through the left side to drive in the first run of the day. A Marauders errant throw on a steal attempt brought home the second run before Logan Riedel knocked in the third and final run with a hard single to left. Hoping to tally twice on the play, the inning instead ended on a tag at home by
Tom Imholte on Gunner Olszewski attempting to score from second.
The Beavers lead increased to 4-0 on an unearned run in the fifth inning. Starting pitcher
Nicholas Stobbe retired the first two hitters of the inning before Scott Litchy doubled to right. The throw to second bounced away from the Marauders infielders allowing Litchy to stroll into third, eventually scoring on a single through the right side by Olszewski.
Three singles in the sixth pulled the Marauders within 4-1. Infield hits by Tim Imholte and
Trenten Hove to lead off the inning was followed by a one-out single to left by
Brad Meyer to plate Imholte. The rally ended abruptly on a ground ball double play.
Three more runs by the Beavers in the seventh sealed the Marauders fate.
Stobbe went 5.2 innings for U-Mary, striking out three and allowing three earned runs on eight hits and three walks.
Darius Barlas closed the game out, allowing no earned runs in 1.1 innings.
Terry Hadden pitched a complete game for BSU, picking up his first win of the season. In seven innings he gave up five hits and three walks, striking out two.
Five different Beavers posted two hits in the game with Litchy scoring twice.
The Marauders turned the ball over to
Jake Johnson in the second game, but even U-Mary's top hurler couldn't stem the tide.
Joey Hanowski led off the top of the first inning for the Beavers with a double just inside the bag at third base. One out later Nelson singled up the middle to score Hanowski for a 1-0 BSU lead.
The Beavers put game two away in the second inning. After two walks and a single loaded the bases, Hanowski's groundout to second base scored the first run of the stanza. With two outs, BSU scored five more times on four singles and a walk to take a commanding 7-0 lead.
Johnson pitched a scoreless third in his final inning of work. One of the Northern Sun leaders in fewest hits allowed and WHIP, the sophomore permitted 12 baserunners and seven runs, both season highs, in his shortest start of the season.
On in relief, freshman right hander
Charles Bielejeski kept the Beavers off the scoreboard the next three innings before allowing a two-out run in the seventh. The Blaine, Minn., native have up just one run on three hits in four innings, his best outing of the season.
Travis Holte and
Ryo Takenaka both pitched scoreless innings to close out the day.
U-Mary was unable to solve BSU starter Jack Stigman. The Marauders left two runners on base in the second and appeared poised to get back in the game in the fourth. Loading the bases on two BSU errors and an infield single with one out, a tapper back to Stigman resulted in a pitcher to home to first double play to end the inning.
Failing to take advantage of the Beavers miscues in the fourth seemed to take the starch out of the Marauders. U-Mary would go down in order in four of the next five innings.
Drew Feuerbach was 2-for-3 in game two and recorded half the Marauders hits in the contest. Doll, who doubled in the opener, and Hove, who singled in game one, had the other U-Mary hits.
Pitching his first complete game of the season, Stigman gave up four hits and a walk in nine shutout innings, striking out five.
Nelson led the BSU offense with three hits, driving in two runs and scoring once.
The Marauders (6-34 overall, 4-23 NSIC) and Beavers (13-33, 10-20) conclude the weekend with a doubleheader at noon on Sunday, May 1, at Municipal Ballpark. U-Mary will honor its six seniors and all the parents during the day.
#marauders#
