MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State baseball team posted victories of 6-1 and 4-2 over Upper Iowa on Sunday afternoon in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader at Corbett Field.
The Beavers improve to 27-14 (25-6 NSIC) while the Peacocks drop to 14-21 (12-17) on the season.
Game One
The Peacocks took a quick 1-0 lead over Minot State in the top of the first inning off an RBI single to center field.
Dominant pitching was the scene in game one, as the Peacocks carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning before Minot State's offense poured in five runs on five hits and capitalized on two Upper Iowa errors to take a 5-1 advantage.
Justin Demary and
Kyle Williamson led off the inning with back-to-back singles before
Ethan Fleming laced a double down the left field line to score Demary and tie the game at one. The Beavers took the lead after
Trevaun Smith reached on a throwing error by the Peacocks, allowing Williamson and Fleming to score.
Minot State added two more runs when Smith scored on a throwing error and an RBI single from
Celestino Rodriguez brought
Michael Borst home.
The Beavers added one more run in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Fleming to score Demary and clinch the 6-1 win over the Peacocks.
Fleming led Minot State at the plate with a team-high three hits and two RBIs while Williamson and Demary added two hits apiece.
Starter
Reilly O'Rourke improved to 3-1 on the season after tossing the complete-game victory. O'Rourke allowed three hits and gave up one run while striking out three batters.
Game Two
The second game was a matchup of the pitchers, as the Beavers and Peacocks played to a scoreless tie until the bottom of the sixth inning.
Minot State didn't record their first hit of the game until
Darrel Doll led off the fifth inning with a single while starter
Zach Newman limited the Peacocks to three hits in the first five innings and struck out four batters.
Doll broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning on an RBI single to right field to score Smith.
The lead didn't last long, as Upper Iowa responded with a run in the seventh inning off a Minot State throwing error.
Borst singled up the middle to score Williamson and give the Beavers a 2-1 lead in the seventh before the Peacocks tied the game at two on an RBI double to left center in the eighth inning.
The Beavers plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth off RBI singles from Williamson and Fleming to take a 4-2 lead into the top of the ninth inning.
Senior
Wyatt Moore allowed one hit in the ninth while holding the Peacocks scoreless to earn this third save of the season and clinch Minot State's 4-2 victory.
Jeremy Sylvester pitched one inning of relief after Newman before
Aaron Kern pitching two innings of relief to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Doll led the Beavers at the plate with three hits, followed by Williamson with two hits while three other Beavers recorded a hit in the win.
Up Next
The Beavers return to action next weekend, as Minot State travels to Bismarck, N.D. to take on UMary in a four-game series on Saturday-Sunday, May 5-6. A full preview will be available on msubeavers.com later this week.
