MINOT, N.D. – Alec Grothe came into the game to pitch on Friday afternoon with the score sitting at 7-5 in his favor. The senior, and North Dakota native, needed to record three outs to help his team earn a win over the No. 3 team in the nation, St. Cloud State.
 
"We were in a game against a good team and everyone in the dugout is excited," said head coach Brock Weppler. "We throw Grothe out there to get a save as a senior. Everyone was holding their breath; our hearts were racing."
 
With a fly out to center field and a double play the Minot State University baseball team earned its fourth win in the past five home games and its second win against SCSU since joining the Division II ranks.
 
"Between today's game, the Crookston game and the Mary series we've been playing good ball right now," Weppler said. "We just beat one of the top teams in the nation. They've been ranked at No. 1 throughout the season and they're No. 3 right now. If we come out with the right attitude we can beat anyone."
 
With Grothe earning the save, his first of the season, and Tanner Alexander earning his second win of the season the pitching for the Beavers complimented the bats that gained a lead in the first inning and never gave it up. MSU scored in every inning, but one to add up seven runs scored by six players. Eight batters earned a hit in what Weppler called one of the team's most complete games of the season.
 
"Definitely felt like all of the components of our team came alive and did their jobs this game," said shortstop Sean Alp. "Our pitching was stellar, our bats were alive and we played good defense too."
 
Alp, who has been the second batter in the lineup this season, scored two runs on two hits. His two hits were good for extra bases as he hit a homer in the third inning and double in the first to eventually score the first run of the game.
 
Game two didn't end the way the Beavers would have preferred, but they hung around until the final inning before ultimately falling 11-8. The second game, however, didn't shadow anything that happened in the first game as it was all smiles for MSU on Friday.
 
"Oh, it was awesome!" Weppler said. "It's how baseball should feel."
 
About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.