MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State baseball team came out swinging on a cold, blustery day at Corbett Field.
The Beavers (12-24 overall, 9-17 NSIC) plated 10 runs in their first two at-bats, putting the visiting Mary Marauders in an insurmountable hole as Minot State rolled to an 18-4 victory in the opener of an NSIC doubleheader.
Mary (15-20, 11-14) rallied late in the nightcap to steal an 8-6 victory as the teams split the day.
Minot State returns to the diamond this weekend hosting Minnesota Duluth in a 3-game series at Corbett Field with the teams playing an NSIC doubleheader on Saturday at 1:30 and a single game Sunday at noon.
In Wednesday's opener, Brett Riddle and
Seungjun Song ignited the onslaught as each plated a pair of runs in a 7-run, first-inning rally for the Beavers.
After seeing the Marauder get a solo run back in the top of the second, Song hit his first home run as a Beaver, blasting a 3-run shot to left, and Minot State never looked back.
The Marauders chipped away with 2 runs in the third and another run in the fourth, but Minot State iced the victory with an 8-run rally in the bottom of the sixth highlighted by
Kekoa Munos' first collegiate home run, a 2-run shot for the final 18-4 margin.
Four Minot State pitchers teamed up on the hill with
Ayden Sauerbrei (1-0) earning the win with 3 innings of 1-run relief. Sauerbrei struck out four Mary batters in his first collegiate victory.
In the nightcap, a
Brian Parry RBI single gave Minot State an early lead, but the Marauders plated four runs in the fourth for a 4-1 advantage.
The Beavers battled back and grabbed a 5-4 edge on
Mark Ossanna's 3-run homer in the fifth, and after the Marauders forged a 6-5 lead, Minot State responded again as
Noah Madas singled home
Brent Riddle, tying the score 6-6 after seven innings.
But a 2-run homer by Dylan Edmands in the top of the eighth provided the win for Mary, which held the Beavers scoreless in the bottom of the eighth despite runners at second and third with just one out.
Parry was 5-for-9 with 4 RBIs,
Miles Iverson was 4-for-5 with an RBI, and Riddle was 4-for-7 with 2 RBIs for Minot State, which also got a huge day from Song who had 2 hits and 7 RBIs in the twinbill.
