MINOT, N.D. – Minot State baseball earned two impressive wins over conference power Minnesota State Mankato earlier today.

The Beavers won the day's first tilt in a defensive affair and eventually outlasted Minnesota State in the nightcap.

The double-header victories may prove beneficial down the road for conference tournament seeding positions.

GAME 1
Junior Noah Myhre, junior Jordan Chappell and senior Aaron Kern combined to throw a shutout on Saturday as Minot State blanked Minnesota State 1-0.

Myhre (2-1) started and picked up the win for Minot State, going 5.1 shutout innings while giving up six hits, walking one, and striking out seven. Chappell was dealing out of the bullpen as well, going one shutout inning without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out two.

In the batter's box, the Beavers were led by junior Drew Behling, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a home run and an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers took the lead for good in the fifth, scoring for the first and only time in the inning.  Behling put Minot State on the board with a two-out solo home run off Jon Ludwig.

GAME FACTS
» Myhre, Chappell, and Kern combined to shut out Minnesota State.
» Myhre struck out seven Mavericks hitters.
» Minot State's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed one run across.
» Minot State pitchers limited Minnesota State to just 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 31 Minnesota State hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 10.
» Behling led the Beavers at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI.
» Minnesota State was led offensively by senior Joey Werner, who went 2-for-3.
» Senior Jon Ludwig led the Mavericks pitching staff, throwing six innings of one-run ball.
 
GAME 2
Five Minot State players recorded multiple hits to help lead the Beavers past Minnesota State 11-9 Saturday.
Sophomore Dominick Parkhurst (2-0) got the win for Minot State (12-6, 10-3). The right-hander went 3.1 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits, allowing two walks and striking out five. Junior RJ Martinez also pitched well as he earned his first save of the season, going one shutout inning without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out one.
 
Junior Declan Buckle led the hit barrage for the Beavers, going 3-for-5 in the ballgame with a home run and three RBIs. Senior Nolan Monthei furnished a standout effort as well, going 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers were trailing 1-0 in the first inning when they first put runs on the board. Junior Jordan Williams' run-scoring single was the big hit in Minot State's three-run inning.

The Beavers then held the Mavericks scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Minot State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run homer from Buckle, which brought the score to 6-1 in favor of the Beavers.

Minot State kept Minnesota State scoreless before expanding their lead to 7-1 the following inning. The Beavers scored a run on junior Drew Behling's one-out solo home run off Kyle Nordby.

The Mavericks fought back, closing the gap to 7-4 until Minot State added some insurance in the fifth. The three-run frame for the Beavers was punctuated by a two-RBI double from sophomore Kaiden Cardoso bringing the score to 10-4 in favor of Minot State.

Minnesota State got within 10-9 until the Beavers scored again in the sixth inning to stretch its lead to 11-9. Minot State picked up a run on Monthei's one-out solo home run off of Jackson Uner. The score remained 11-9 for the rest of the game, as the Beavers held on for the win.

GAME FACTS
» The Minot State pitching staff combined to strike out 14 Minnesota State hitters.
» Minot State's highest-scoring inning was the fifth when it pushed three runs across.
» Minot State took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Minot State hitters hit three homers in the ballgame.
» The Beavers out-hit the Mavericks at a 15-12 clip.
» Williams stole three bases in Saturday's game.
» Minot State went 3-for-7 (.429) with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 46 Minnesota State hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 14.
» Buckle led the Beavers at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.
» Minnesota State was led offensively by freshman Adam Schneider, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.
 
Minot State and the Mavericks will finish their series tomorrow at Corbett Field. The first pitch has been moved up to 11 a.m. to avoid potential inclement weather.