The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team went 1-1 on Monday in Tucson, Ariz., defeating Southern Vermont 16-6 in its first game, before losing 13-6 to William Penn (Iowa) in the final game of the day.
Against Southern Vermont, the Mustangs snapped a two-game losing streak, thanks to an eight-run seventh inning that cemented the victory. Brian Ness led the team with two hits and three RBIs, while Adam Thygesen, Jordon Kontz and Jon Ellis each had two hits and two RBIs. Thygesen and Kontz both scored three runs in the victory.
Ben Bartling pitched 3 1/3 innings for the state, allowing four runs on six hits for SMSU. Brandan Alfson got the win in relief, giving up three hits and striking out one in 2 2/3 innings of work.
In Game 2 against William Penn, Jeff Watson and Mark Hanson finished with two hits apiece for the Mustangs, with Hanson and Steven Kremer driving in two runs each.
Thanks to nine answered runs, William Penn pulled away with a 9-3 lead after five innings. Hanson picked up a two-run single in the sixth inning for SMSU to close the gap to 9-5, but it was not enough as William Penn scored a pair of runs in the seventh.
Today, the Mustangs take on a familiar foe in Tucson, facing Concordia-St. Paul at 11 a.m.
| Game 1 | |
| SMSU | 201 302 8—16 13 2 |
| SV | 000 402 0—6 9 4 |
| SMSU-Ben Bartling, Brandan Alfson (4), Chris Koep (7); SV-Gilmore, McKay (7), Marfyak (7). WP-Alfson. LP-Gilmore. 2B: SMSU-Adam Thygesen, Jordon Kontz, Brian Ness, Tyler Flattum; SV-Briggs, Sciara, LaBadia. LOB: SMSU-7; SV-8. | |
| Game 2 | |
| WP | 030 240 211—13 13 0 |
| SMSU | 300 002 010—6 8 4 |
| WP-David Ness, Brad McGuire (7), Rafael Villafana (8); SMSU-Steven Wehr, Colton Smit (4), Max Zwart (7). WP-Ness. LP-Wehr. 3B: SMSU-Steven Kremer. 2B: WP-Stanley Muller, Daniel Wehr; SMSU-Mark Hanson, Jeff Watson. LOB: WP-12; SMSU-10. |