DULUTH, MINN. – Minot State baseball won two important NSIC games earlier today in Duluth. The Beavers came out on top of Minnesota Duluth in a couple of closely played contests.
 
Both affairs ended with two-run differentials in favor of Minot State. Clutch hitting and focused pitching led the Beavers to both victories.
 
GAME 1
Junior RJ Martinez was dominant on Saturday, striking out 10 UMD hitters over five innings of work to help power Minot State over the Bulldogs 9-7.
 
In addition to his 10 strikeouts, Martinez (3-2) tossed five innings, giving up seven runs, four earned, on nine hits, and walking three for Minot State (19-13, 17-10).
 
Gunnar Kozlowitz led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 3-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run, a walk and two RBIs. Sophomore Kaiden Cardoso provided a standout effort as well, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs. Senior Nolan Monthei also helped out, going 1-for-3 for Minot State with a home run and two RBIs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the action in the fourth inning. Minot State put up a three-spot, the big hit coming by way of a run-scoring double off the bat of junior Jordan Williams.
 
The Bulldogs then tied the ballgame at three before the Beavers came back to reclaim their advantage in the fifth inning. Minot State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run homer from Cardoso, which brought the Beavers lead to 6-3.
 
Minot State held Minnesota Duluth without a run before building their lead to 8-3 the following inning. The Beavers added two to their tally on Monthei's two-run homer to left.
 
The Bulldogs gained ground, closing the gap to 8-7 until Minot State added some insurance in the seventh.  The Beavers scored a run on Kozlowitz's leadoff dinger off Paul Petit, bringing the score to 9-7 in favor of Minot State. The score remained 9-7 for the rest of the game, as the Beavers held on for the win.
 
GAME FACTS
» Martinez struck out 10 Bulldogs hitters.
» The Beavers power output was led by Cardoso, who had two extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» Every Minot State starter reached base safely in the win.
» The Minot State pitching staff combined to strike out 12 Minnesota-Duluth hitters.
» Minot State's highest-scoring inning was the fifth when it pushed three runs across.
» Four Beavers had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Minot State hitters hit three homers in the ballgame.
» The Beavers out-hit the Bulldogs at a 14-10 clip.
» Minot State went 4-for-12 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 36 Minnesota-Duluth hitters in the game, allowing one ground ball and eight fly balls while striking out 12.
» Kozlowitz led the Beavers at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
» Minnesota Duluth was led offensively by senior Anders Brown, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
» Senior Paul Petit led the Bulldogs pitching staff, throwing 1.1 innings of one-run ball.
 
 
GAME 2
Freshman Matt Malone racked up four RBIs to help lead Minot State over Minnesota-Duluth 7-5 on Saturday.
 
Junior Branden Hatley (2-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Minot State (20-13, 18-10). The right-hander went 0.2 shutout innings without giving up a hit. Freshman Trevyn Badger also made an impact on the mound for the Beavers, throwing four shutout innings while allowing no hits, with one walk and six strikeouts.
 
Malone went 2-for-5 with a home run in addition to his four RBIs for the Beavers. Sophomore Kaiden Cardoso went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Sophomore Dillon Buckmeier also chipped in for Minot State, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a double and a walk.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Malone came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board.
 
The Bulldogs then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Beavers got back on the board in the second. Freshman Gunnar Kozlowitz came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State, which brought the score level at 2-2.
 
That 2-2 tie turned into a 3-2 Minot State lead in the fourth. The Beavers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Cardoso.
 
Minot State held the Bulldogs without a run before their offense got things moving the next inning. The Beavers scored four runs in the inning, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Malone,  bringing the score to 7-2 in favor of Minot State. Minnesota-Duluth put three runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Beavers still held on for the 7-5 win.
 
GAME FACTS
» Badger struck out six Bulldogs hitters and sophomore Dominick Parkhurst fanned six for the Beavers.
» Malone drove in four runs for Minot State.
» Every Minot State starter reached base safely in the win.
» The Minot State pitching staff combined to strike out 12 Minnesota Duluth hitters.
» Minot State's highest-scoring inning was the fifth when it pushed four runs across.
» The Beavers out-hit the Bulldogs at a 10-7 clip.
» Minot State went 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 42 Bulldog hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and six fly balls while striking out 12.
» The Beavers drew seven walks from Minnesota-Duluth pitching.
» Malone led the Beavers at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.
» UMD was led offensively by junior Tim Pokornowski, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
» Senior Liam Blaschko led the Bulldogs pitching staff, throwing four shutout innings.
 
Minot State and UMD will conclude their series tomorrow at 12 p.m. with another contest in Duluth, Minn.