Minot, N.D. – Minot State University used a long ball and a great hustle play to rally in extra innings in game 1 and hit two more HRs in game 2 to sweep a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference baseball games from Winona State in the Beavers home opener Saturday at Jack Hoeven Ballpark.

Paul Vogelsang hit a game-tying home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning and Justin Demary and Sean Alp both used excellent hustle to send the Beavers to a walk-off 3-2 win in game 1. Michael Borst hit a three-run home run and Jarrod Adams smacked a solo shot for a 5-3 win in game 2.

The Beavers (13-6 overall, 8-4 NSIC) rallied twice in game 1 to help Tanner Alexander secure his third win of the season. MSU trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh before Jordan Schulz singled home Demary to force extra innings.

"Tanner had an issue with his knee in the first inning, but battled back after that," said MSU head coach Scott Eul. "But he battled back after that. He did a great job of keeping us in the game and if we can stay close, we can be a dangerous team. We did just enough to get the win."

In the eighth, WSU (4-18, 4-8) scored a single run to take its second one run lead of the game.

But the Beavers got a solo shot from Vogelsang to tie it. Demary reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and then scored on Alp's infield hit to shortstop. Alp beat the throw to first for the single and Demary came all the way around from second for the game winner.

Alexander was superb in the win for MSU pitching all eight innings. He gave up eight hits, two runs with just one earned and struck out eight. He didn't walk any Warrior hitters to outduel WSU's Mitchell Stalsberg who earned a no decision after giving up 10 hits and one run with 13 strikeouts.

"Their guy (Stalsberg) has good stuff. I don't think we changed our approach enough against him, but we did a good enough job to get the win," Eul said.

Alp went 3 for 4 with an RBI for Minot State. Vogelsang and Demary both went 2 for 4 with Vogelsang knocking one in and Demary finishing with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored for the Beavers.

Minot State trailed in game 2 as well, falling behind 2-0 after two-run second inning for the Warriors. The Beavers erased that on one swing from Borst in the third as he drove his fourth home run over the leftfield fence to give MSU a 3-2 lead. It was his first HR without the bases loaded this season but increased his RBI total on home runs to 15 on the year.

MSU pushed the lead to 5-2 with single runs in the fourth and fifth as Borst drove in Alp on an infield hit in the fourth and Adams hit his second HR of the season in the fifth.

It was more than enough runs for MSU starter Reilly O'Rourke as he went the distance, giving up eight hits and three runs while striking out eight to improve to 2-0.

"You can't say enough about how Tanner and Rex (O'Rourke) pitched for us," Eul said. "Rex threw strikes, that was key for him."

Borst went 3 for 4 with four RBIs to pace the MSU offense. Alp, Schulz and Adams all picked up two hits apiece.

The two teams will finish off a four-game set at Jack Hoeven Sunday starting at Noon.

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.