MARSHALL, MN – It only took one. University of Mary senior
Nicholas Stobbe held Southwest Minnesota State University scoreless in five innings of six innings. The Mustangs, though, posted all the runs they needed in that single stanza to defeat the visiting Marauders 4-2 in the Northern Sun doubleheader opener.
SMSU completed the sweep of UMary with an 11-1 win in game two.
The Marauders struck first in the opener, staking Stobbe to a 1-0 lead after scoring in the top of the first inning.
Seth Meide cracked a double to center and moved to third on a single by
Travis Stevens. The pair then pulled off a double steal with Meide scoring the first run of the game.
Stobbe kept the Mustangs off the scoreboard through the first three innings, allowing just a pair of harmless hits.
Southwest Minnesota State turned the game around in the fourth. After a one-out walk, Jayden Fleck hit a 2-run home run to left field, giving SMSU a 2-1 lead. The Mustangs soon added two more runs with two outs in the inning.
After stranding two runners on base in the fifth and one in the sixth, the Marauders made one final charge in the seventh and final inning. With two outs,
Andrew Beyer was hit by a pitch. Beyer subsequently took second and came around to score on a single to left center by Meide. Still down by two, Stevens popped up to shortstop for the final out of the game.
Meide went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Stevens and Cody Ghent had UMary's other two hits.
Stobbe went six innings for the complete game, striking out two and walking two. He also allowed seven hits and four runs.
Cole Vanderbeek was 3-for-4 with an RBI for SMSU.
SMSU's Justin Clark went 6.2 innings for the win, striking out seven, walking one and allowing two runs. Shawn Williams recorded the final out of the game to earn a save.
Just as in the opener, the Marauders again struck first with a single run in the top of the first. After UMary failed on a double steal of home, Stevens scored from second on the Mustangs second miscue of the inning for a 1-0 UMary lead.
Shane Sellner led off the Mustangs half of the second with a game-tying home run to right center. The next two hitters also reached, one on a walk and the other on a single. One more SMSU single and a UMary error pushed the Mustangs lead to 3-1 after two innings.
The Mustangs tacked on three more in the third before posting three more in the fifth and one each in the sixth and seventh.
Beyer had two of the Marauders three hits.
Chris Scott has the other base hit for UMary.
Kenny Slominski was the only Marauders pitcher to go unscathed on the day, pitching a scoreless inning.
Cole Peterson picked up a complete game win for the Mustangs in their 11-1 victory, allowing just a single unearned run in seven innings. He struck out eight. Vanderbeek, Tyler Strommenn and Kody Larson had three hits each.
The Marauders (9-30 overall, 5-25 NSIC) and Mustangs (11-25, 6-20) conclude their four-game series on Sunday, April 23.
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