The University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team took to the field against the University of Mary Marauders this afternoon for their final doubleheader of the 2024 regular season, edging out a game one win to earn the split in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup.

Game One: UMD (4) - MARY (1)

The Bulldogs got out to a quick start in game one with back to back base hits from Gabe Richardson and Jack Puder, bringing up Trevor Gustafson who would knock in a RBI single and the first run of the day in the first inning. UMD would not stop there when they would come back to the dish in the third with a single from Oran Hinkle and a double from Richardson to put runners in scoring position. A walk to Puder would bring Gustafson back up to the plate for another RBI base hit knock, putting the Bulldogs at an early 2-0 lead. Jack Nemetz would reach second base on an error to lead off the fourth inning, resulting in a Sam Kliber bunt situation that would score Nemetz and allow him to reach on another error from the MARY defense before the end of the inning. 

Another run for the Bulldogs would cross the plate in the sixth on the fourth RBI base hit for the team as ace pitcher Brayden Buttweiler continued to deal from the mound, holding a no hitter up until the top of the sixth and not allowing a single run until the seventh when the Marauders would earn their first run of the day on a bases loaded walk. The Bulldogs would hold onto their lead with an unassisted double play from Gabe Richardson to end the game, closing out game one with a 4-1 win.

Game Two: UMD (2) - MARY (7)

Two scoreless innings to open game two would lead to the Marauders opening the scoring in the third with a pair of RBI base hits of their own. The Bulldogs would not let that go completely unanswered though, collecting back to back singles from Kliber and Michael Gabbard to bring Hinkle to the plate for the RBI base hit and to push the score to 2-1 in favor of MARY by the end of the third.another scoreless pair of innings in the fourth and fifth would break up the action before the Marauders would drive a two out double for another two runs in the sixth. The Bulldogs would bounce back into action with a solo home run for Puder, cutting their deficit to just two runs with another three innings left to go. However, the Marauders would add another three runs over the next three innings on a trio of RBI extra base hits, while the Bulldogs would get shutout to end the game close out the day with a 7-2 loss.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog baseball returns tomorrow for Bulldog Senior Day, closing out the 2024 regular season with one more matchup against the Marauders. The first pitch is currently scheduled for 1:30 PM, with the senior day ceremony starting roughly 20 minutes before the game.