(GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.) – The Minot State baseball team finished a four-game set at 3^rd-ranked Colorado Mesa this afternoon. The Beavers and Mavericks split the series and MSU took the first two contests and Colorado Mesa came out on top in the final two.
 
Minot State was a game away from winning the series, which would have been CMU's first home series loss in over nine years.
 
The Beavers are now 8-6 overall with NSIC competition on the horizon. MSU will open league play with a three-game series at the University of Sioux Falls on March 14-15.
 
Game 1 | Minot State 11, Colorado Mesa 10
Minot State needed 10 innings to get the job done, but secured the 11-10 extra-innings victory over No. 3 Colorado Mesa Friday.
 
Junior Blake Gallagher (2-0) came on in relief and picked up the win for Minot State (7-4). The right-hander went the final 1.2 innings in shutout fashion while giving up two hits, allowing no walks and striking out two. Junior Dylan Roach also made an impact on the mound for the Beavers, throwing 3.1 shutout innings while allowing one hit, with two walks and two strikeouts.
 
In the batter's box, the Beavers were paced by junior Drew Behling, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a double, a home run, two walks and an RBI. Freshman Kellen Peat compiled a standout performance at the plate as well, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Senior Trevaun Smith also contributed for Minot State, putting together two hits in six trips to the plate while adding a double and two RBIs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers were trailing 7-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Minot State's offense started clicking and put up five runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Peat.
 
The Mavericks expanded their lead to 9-5 before the Beavers offense got back to work, tying it up in the seventh. The Minot State offense exploded for four runs, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Smith, which leveled the score at 9-9.
 
That 9-9 tie turned into a 10-9 Minot State lead in the eighth.
 
The Mavericks then tied the game at 10 before Minot State fought back to re-take their advantage in the tenth inning.  The Beavers drove in a run on Behling's leadoff home run off Garrett Tisdall, bringing the score to 11-10 in favor of Minot State. The score remained 11-10 for the rest of the game, as the Beavers held on for the win.
 
GAME FACTS
» Peat compiled four hits on the day for Minot State.
» The Beavers power output was led by Behling, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Every Minot State starter reached base safely in the win.
» Minot State's highest scoring inning was the fourth, when it pushed five runs across.
» Five Beavers had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Beavers had a total of 15 hits.
» Minot State went 5-for-12 (.417) with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 52 Colorado Mesa hitters in the game, allowing 12 ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out six.
» The Beavers drew seven walks from Colorado Mesa pitching.
» Behling led the Beavers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and an RBI.
» Colorado Mesa was led offensively by junior Spencer Bramwell, who went 3-for-6 with two doubles and three RBIs.
» Freshman Cade Nicol led the Mavericks pitching staff, throwing 2.2 innings of two-run ball.
 
 
Game 2 | Minot State 13, Colorado Mesa 10
Freshman Gunnar Kozlowitz collected four hits to help propel Minot State over Colorado Mesa 13-10 in Saturday's first game.
 
Sophomore Tyler Luban (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Minot State (8-4). The right-hander went two innings, giving up one run on two hits.
 
In addition to his four hits, Kozlowitz had two doubles and two RBIs to lead the Beavers. Junior Blake Gallagher put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Junior Drew Behling also helped out for Minot State, putting together two hits in two trips to the plate while adding a home run, two walks and two RBIs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring in the first inning.  Minot State plated two runs when Behling left the yard with senior Trevaun Smith aboard.
 
The Mavericks then rallied to score four runs and take a 4-2 lead before the Beavers got back on the board in the sixth. Minot State picked up two runs when a single from senior Nolan Monthei brought home Kozlowitz and Gallagher, which evened the score at 4-4.
 
That 4-4 tie turned into an 8-4 Minot State lead in the seventh. The Beavers bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a two-run home run off the bat of Gallagher and a two-run double from Kozlowitz.
 
The Mavericks gained ground, closing the gap to 8-5 until Minot State added some insurance in the eighth. The Beavers sent home a run on senior Ryley Humrighouse's one-out solo dinger off Gage Edwards, bringing the score to 9-5 in favor of Minot State.
 
Colorado Mesa got within 9-8 until the Beavers scored again in the ninth inning to stretch its lead to 13-8. The Minot State offense piled up four runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Humrighouse and a two-run home run from sophomore Jackson Pokorney. Colorado Mesa put two runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Beavers still held on for the 13-10 win.
 
GAME FACTS
» Kozlowitz compiled four hits on the day for Minot State.
» The Beavers had both Gallagher and Kozlowitz smack multiple extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» Minot State's highest scoring inning was the ninth, when it pushed four runs across.
» Six Beavers had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Minot State hitters hit four home runs in the ballgame.
» The Beavers had a total of 16 hits.
» The Beavers out-hit the Mavericks at a 16-14 clip.
» Minot State went 5-for-9 (.556) with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 45 Colorado Mesa hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and 13 fly balls while striking out four.
» Gallagher led the Beavers at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs.
» Colorado Mesa was led offensively by junior Matthew Turner, who went 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs and four RBIs.
 
 
Game 3 | Colorado Mesa 10, Minot State 6
Minot State got a strong performance out of junior Declan Buckle, who recorded two extra base hits in a 10-6 loss to Colorado Mesa in the series' third game on Saturday.
 
Junior Branden Hatley (1-2) took the loss on the mound for Minot State (8-5).
 
Buckle's two extra base hits were the highlight of a 2-for-4 day, and included two doubles. Senior Nolan Monthei put together a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs. Sophomore Jackson Pokorney also chipped in for the Beavers, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a home run, a walk and an RBI.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring in the first inning.  Minot State's offense produced a three-run output that included home runs from both Pokorney and Monthei.
 
The Mavericks failed to push any runs across before the Beavers built on their lead in the fourth inning. Buckle came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State, which brought the Beavers lead to 4-0.
 
Minot State's lead had disappeared once the seventh inning came around and turned into a 10-4 Colorado Mesa advantage, when the Beavers cut that deficit to 10-6. Freshman Kellen Peat's run-scoring single highlighted a two-run frame for the Beavers. The ballgame ended with that seventh inning rally falling short.
 
GAME FACTS
» Minot State's power output was led by Buckle, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Minot State's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed three runs across.
» Minot State pitchers faced 33 Colorado Mesa hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and three fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Beavers drew four walks from Colorado Mesa pitching.
» Monthei led the Beavers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
» Colorado Mesa was led offensively by sophomore Haydn McGeary, who went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBIs.
» Junior Garrett Tisdall led the Mavericks pitching staff, throwing 1.2 innings of two-run ball.
 
 
Game 4 | Colorado Mesa 17, Minot State 11
Senior Trevaun Smith collected four hits, but Minot State fell to Colorado Mesa 17-11 in the series finale Sunday.
 
Sophomore Garrett Nicholson (0-1) got the ball to start for Minot State (8-6) and took the loss.
 
In addition to his four hits, Smith had two doubles, a home run, a walk and seven RBIs to lead the Beavers. Sophomore Jackson Pokorney put together a noteworthy effort as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs. Senior Ryley Humrighouse also helped out for Minot State, putting together two hits in five trips to the plate while adding two RBIs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers were trailing 3-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board.    Minot State scored twice on a two-run double off the bat of Smith.
 
The Mavericks expanded their lead to 4-2 before the Beavers offense got back to work, taking the lead in the third. The Minot State offense exploded for four runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Smith and a two-run single from Humrighouse, which brought the score to 6-4 in favor of the Beavers.
 
Minot State's lead had disappeared once the fifth inning arrived and turned into a 7-6 Colorado Mesa advantage, when the Beavers evened up the game at seven. The Beavers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Pokorney.
 
The Mavericks busted up the tie and took the lead heading into the seventh inning, when Minot State got back on the scoreboard.  The Beavers scored twice on solo home runs from Smith and Pokorney, tightening the Colorado Mesa lead to 11-9.
 
Colorado Mesa expanded their lead to 14-9 before the Beavers offense got rolling, reducing that lead to 14-11 in the eighth. Minot State pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Smith that brought home senior Nolan Monthei and senior Dustin Wilcox. The Beavers were unable to get any closer, as Colorado Mesa added three runs to their tally on the way to a 17-11 final.
 
GAME FACTS
» Smith compiled a four-hit day for the Beavers.
» The Beavers got a power surge from Smith, who contributed three extra-base knocks.
» Smith drove in seven runs for the Beavers.
» Every Beavers starter reached base safely in the loss.
» Minot State's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed four runs across.
» Four Minot State hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» Minot State left 12 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Smith stole three bases in Sunday's game.
» Minot State pitchers faced 56 Colorado Mesa hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out six.
» The Beavers drew six walks from Colorado Mesa pitching.
» Smith led the Beavers at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs.
» Colorado Mesa was led offensively by junior Caleb Farmer, who went 4-for-6 with a double and three RBIs.
» Junior Frankie Fitzgerald led the Mavericks pitching staff, throwing 1.2 shutout innings.