The University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team secured a game three win and series win this afternoon in their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup, inching themselves higher and higher in the conference standings in their hunt for a NSIC tournament spot.

Final Score: UMD (9) - MSU (2)

The Bulldogs would get their first two base runners of the game on the base paths early in the first inning, getting a single from Oran Hinkle and a subsequent Gabe Richardson walk. This would set up Jack Puder to poke a single into the right field grass that would score Hinkle from second base, securing a 1-0 lead for UMD before the end of the half inning. The Beavers would get a chance to respond in the bottom of the second, getting two base runners of their own and advancing on a throwing error for their first run of the game to tie things up.

A scoreless third inning would lead up to a no doubter of a solo home run from Trevor Gustafson to leadoff the fourth to get the Bulldog offense going. Garrett Stauffacher would follow it up with a double past the right fielder, setting him up to score on a groundout and sacrifice fly on the following two batters. UMD would carry their 3-1 lead with them into the bottom of the fifth when another throwing error would advance a MSU base runner into scoring position and would eventually score on a sacrifice fly.

That would be all the runs Minot State would collect today while the UMD bats continued to tally on the runs in the sixth inning. A Gustafson double and Stauffacher single would put them into position to score on base hits from Sam Kliber and Michael Gabbard. Kliber would eventually score on a throwing error before an inning ending double play, increasing the UMD lead to 6-2. Stauffacher would yet again produce in the eighth inning, knocking a triple down the left field line to score Gustafson and would also score on a throwing error from the MSU catcher for an inside-the-park home run. Kliber would top it all off with the first home run of his collegiate career to bring the score to 9-2, securing the series win for the Bulldogs on the weekend.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog baseball is back in Wade Stadium this week to host the Winona State University Warriors before their weekend matchup on the road against Crookston. The first pitch against WSU is currently scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 24, at 1:30 PM.