ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The toughest ball senior pitcher Mark LaCroix has had to throw in his career turned out to be a 20-footer to first base.
 
LaCroix forced a weak comebacker just off the mound with two on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Beavers clinging to a 3-2 lead.
 
All he had to do was to get it to first baseman Celestino Rodriguez to clinch Minot State's first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Baseball Tournament win.
 
"I thought about just sprinting it over, but I don't know if I can move that fast anymore," he said. "There were some jitters there for sure."
 
LaCroix finished off the final out preserving a superior performance by starter Justin DeMary as the two combined for a four-hitter to lock down Minnesota Crookston 3-2 in a loser out game Thursday at the 2017 NSIC Baseball Tournament played at Joe Faber Field.
 
"We're pretty excited," said MSU head coach Scott Eul when asked to describe how it felt to secure the first win. "We still have some business to do here, but we are certainly enjoying this one right now."
 
Demary pitched a gem, carrying a no hitter into the fifth and allowing just four hits to improve to 6-2 on the season. He struck out six batters and walked just one – although he hit five batters. The final two hit by pitches came after he retired the first two in the ninth, prompting the call to the bullpen.
 
"JD threw a heck of game for us. He's been one of the guys we have looked to in situations like this all year," said Eul. "He put us in a great spot.
 
"I have a lot of confidence in Mark. I know he would compete and be in the strike zone and that's what he did. The guys were confident in him too. When I went out to JD he said give it to them (either LaCroix or Kendal Daniels)."
 
It was an improbable out in an improbable season for LaCroix who received a fifth season due to a medical redshirt. He came on strong over the final month of the season to run his secure a spot in the rotation and a 4-1 record and picked up his first save Thursday.
 
"Words can't describe what it felt like to get that last out with all that happened last year with my arm basically shredded," he said. "I didn't think it I was going to play again. I'm really happy that I could finish up JD's game – he threw a heck of a game – and get Minot State's first playoff win."
 
While the pitching staff was dominate, the MSU offense got to work quickly, building a 3-0 lead. MSU had four hits and scored a run in the bottom of the first inning. Wyatt Schlosser singled home Sean Alp for the 1-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the third, the Beavers got back-to-back doubles from Michael Borst and Jarrod Adams to score two. Minot State (29-21 overall) had seven hits through four innings and outhit the Golden Eagles (24-28) 10-4.
 
"We put guys on again today," Eul said. "We are still leaving too many on base, we need a couple more hits to score them. If we can cash in on those, we will be in a good spot."
 
The top of the MSU order was outstanding, as Trevaun Smith, Alp, Borst, Adams and Wyatt Schlosser combed for nine of the 10 hits. Smith, Borst, Adams and Schlosser all had two hits apiece and Borst, Adams and Schlosser drove in runs.
 
UMC's Patrick Amerson drove in both runs for the Golden Eagles with a two-out double in the fifth. UMC starter Cody Pamperin suffered the loss going six innings, allowing nine hits and three runs to fall to 1-7.
 
Minot State will await the loser of St. Cloud State-Augustana University for another loser out game set to start at approximately 7 p.m.
 
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.