BRANDON, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team earned two victories over Bemidji State on Friday afternoon using strong starting pitching and the long ball to win 8-2 and 5-2 at Aspen Park.

SMSU is now 10-6 overall, 5-5 NSIC, while BSU drops to 1-15 overall, 0-10 NSIC. The two teams will conclude the series on Saturday with another doubleheader at 1 p.m.

In game one, SMSU hit three home runs, including two by Levi Lampert to win the opener. Lampert belted a grand slam in the sixth inning to help seal the victory. He also hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

Jared Cortez came through with a clutch two-out RBI double in the first and drilled a home run in the fourth to put SMSU up 2-1.

Leading 2-1 in the fifth, Brock Woitalla started the Mustangs with a leadoff single and one batter later Lampert drilled an opposite field two-run homer to make the score 4-1. The Mustangs put the game away in the sixth with a two-out rally as Henry Hammrich, Caleb Gardow and Woitalla walked to load the bases before Lampert delivered the grand slam with two outs.

Ryan Chmielewski (3-1) tossed a complete game four hitter with eight strikeouts to earn the victory.

Lampert finished the opener 2 for 3 with six RBIs and three runs scored, while Cortez had two hits and two RBIs.

In game two, Jameson Quinn (2-1) fired a career-high seven innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts, while allowing just two hits and two walks to pick up the victory. Cameron Jensen tossed a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season.

SMSU used a two-run home run from Cory Bantam and a solo home run from Carter Lang in the first and to build a 3-0 lead.

BSU took advantage of a walk and three wild pitches to plate a run in the second before the Mustangs added an unearned run in the third. Owen Latendresse reached base on a one out single before later scoring on a throwing error by the BSU pitcher.

BSU cut the deficit in half in the fourth with a solo home run to make the score 4-2.

SMSU stranded numerous runners on base in the first six inning to fail and break the game open, but Brock Woitalla drilled a two-out solo homer in the seventh to extend the lead to 5-2.

The SMSU bullpen took over in the final two innings with Bennett Knapper retiring both batters he faced in the eight, while Jerod Cyrus ended the frame stranding a runner at second base. Jensen closed it out in the ninth working a quick 1-2-3 inning.

The Mustangs had 13 hits in the game but stranded 14 runners on base. Lampert, Cortez, Lang, Latendress and Evan Behn each recorded two hits in the victory with Bantam closing with two RBIs.