Photo by Samantha Davis. The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team celebrates Henry Hammrich's (4) ninth-inning grand slam in the second game of a doubleheader against Minot State Friday afternoon at Yankee Field in Milroy. SMSU won both games, 8-4 and 17-8.

MILROY — Completing a four-game sweep over Minot State in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader, the Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team earned two wins Friday afternoon at Milroy’s Yankee Field. The Mustangs took the first game 8-4, followed by a dominant 17-8 game two victory.

“This feels really good. We’re playing with confidence right now. Offensively, we’re really competing. We’re pitching it really good, we had zero errors in the games there today,” SMSU head coach Jeremy Ische said. “I think we’re playing at a high level, and they’re playing with a ton of confidence.”

Minot State finished the doubleheader with four errors.

Through the two games, Levi Lampert had six runs and two RBIs on five hits, including a pair of home runs. Henry Hammrich had two runs, three hits and five RBIs, all of which came in game two. Cory Bantam also recorded two runs, five hits and three RBIs.

A five-run fifth inning in the first game, followed by six unanswered runs in game two’s ninth inning behind a Hammrich grand slam, set SMSU up for the victories.

The Mustangs had eight runs on 10 hits in the first, and 17 runs on 14 hits in the second. MSU had four runs on eight hits to start, and brought in eight runs on nine hits in the last game.

Carter Petron was credited with the win on the mound in the first game for SMSU, with four strikeouts while allowing four runs on five hits in his four innings pitched. Cameron Jensen had the save with three innings for a trio of strikeouts, three hits and no runs.

“We just try to apply pressure. We have some guys on the team that hit the ball off the wall, or over the wall, and we have some other guys that can safety, squeeze and push-bunt and play small at times,” Ische said. “Carter Petron probably wasn’t at his best here in the first game today, but Cam Jensen really stepped up as a senior and did a great job in relief and threw three innings of scoreless baseball. Just a fun fun group of kids to coach.”

MSU’s Conner Meldrim lost game one, pitching 4 1/3 innings while allowing seven earned runs and six hits with three strikeouts.

For the second game, Shay Endres won with four strikeouts, four earned runs and six hits through his five innings. The Beavers’ Wyatt Toth was given the loss with six earned runs, five hits and three strikeouts in his three innings.

For Minot, Brent Riddle finished with two runs, five hits and 5 RBIs. Michael Williamson followed with three runs and hits respectively.

SMSU improves to 16-7 overall and 11-5 in NSIC play. It will return to the diamond next weekend on April 5 and 6 at Barnes Field to take on Concordia-St. Paul in two double headers.

GAME 1

SMSU 8, Minot State 4

The bats came alive for the Mustangs in the top of the fifth inning, bringing in five runs on four hits to take a 7-4 lead after a competitive first four innings.

Lampert led SMSU with a trio of runs on two hits, while Evan Behn and Brock Woitalla each had a pair of RBIs.

Entering the top of the fifth with a 4-2 deficit, Caleb Gardow stepped up to the plate to get the action started with a single to left field and Lampert followed with a walk.

Jared Cortez hit a single to right field to drive Gardow in, cutting the deficit to one run, and Bantam was walked to load the bases up with no outs.

“Lampert’s a special kid. He’s really talented. He doesn’t swing at balls, he hunts strikes,” Ische said. “Cory gets in the three-hole and doesn’t try to do too much. He’s a big, strong, physical kid who competes with bat speed.”

Behn hit a sacrifice fly ball out to right field to score Lampert and tie the game up 4-4. Carter Lang then bunted home Cortez for the go-ahead run before Minot State’s Hayden Bode relieved Conner Meldrim at the mound with one out.

Bode struck out Owen Latendresse for the second out, yet Woitalla kept SMSU’s rally going with a double up the third baseline to drive in both Lang and Bantam for the 7-4 lead.

SMSU shut out MSU in the bottom of the fifth to hold its three-run advantage when Jensen relieved Petron on the mound in the sixth.

The Mustangs brought in one more run, with Bantam singling in Lampert, for an 8-4 lead that held through the end of the game.

Minot got on the board first with a run in the opening inning when Williamson singled up the middle and stole second base. Noah Gutierrez and Riddle then drove Williamson over to third and home with a ground out and a sacrifice fly.

Minot took back a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third with a single from Williamson on two outs, who visited home after advancing to third off a Gutierrez double and sacrifice fly hit from Riddle.

GAME 2

SMSU 17, Minot 8

SMSU built up a 10-4 lead heading into the eighth inning behind seven unanswered runs between the third and fifth innings. The Mustangs then withstood a late MSU four-run eighth inning rally. Hammrich hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth to put a statement on the win.

Lampert, Behn and Woitalla each recorded three runs in the second game, while Bantam led with four hits and Hammrich had five RBIs.

SMSU brought in a run in each the first and second inning for an early 2-0 lead, yet MSU scored three in the bottom of the second to take a one-run advantage.

With Endres on the mound for the Mustangs with one out, Parker Rodgers hit a home run over center field with two Beavers on base to score three runs.

Yet, the Mustangs had a big response to take back a 6-3 lead after bringing in four runs in the top of the third.

All of SMSU’s four runs came on Minot State pitching errors. With bases loaded, Toth walked both Woitalla and Hammrich to bring home Bantam and Behn. Gardow was next hit by a pitch to earn first base, which advanced Lang home.

To round out the runs, Woitalla scored from third on a wild pitch to give SMSU the three-run lead before the Beavers could put an end to the inning.

Holding MSU scoreless, SMSU brought in three more runs in the top of the fifth to pull away to a 9-3 lead.

Woitalla and Hammrich got on base and advanced into scoring position after Gardow faked a bunt. Gardow then hit a two-run single to bring the pair in with no outs, 8-3.

The final run came from a Bantam long drive that hit the right field fence to send Gardow home before the Beavers could end the inning.

SMSU allowed one Minot run in the bottom of the sixth while bringing in one more of its own in the top of the seventh and eighth, holding an 11-4 lead, before the Beavers attempted a comeback with four runs in the eighth inning.

Jerod Cyrus was on the mound for the Mustangs prior to being relieved by Bennett Knapper with one out.

Minot’s Riddle started the momentum with a home run over right field for two runs.

Both Jake Orthner and Cole Talley were walked before Gutierrez hit a double toward left field to bring in Orthner and move Talley to third base.

A sacrifice fly to right field from Parker Rodgers eventually brought in Talley for the fourth run to cut into an 11-8 deficit, and SMSU was able to wrap the inning up with a pair of throws to first.

“We just have to keep making quality pitches to the bottom of the zone,” Ische said. “It was interesting there, a three-run game at the time … But, we have a cool mix of young guys contributing and old guys contributing. It’s a cool thing we have going on.”

The Mustangs’ three-run lead extended to nine to wrap the game up with a demanding six-run ninth inning in response to the Beavers’ comeback attempt.

Four of the six runs came from a Hammrich grand slam over left center field, bringing in Woitalla, Nathan Wheeler and Behn who were occupying first, second and third base respectively.

The Mustangs held off MSU with its final at-bat, including a pair of strikeouts from Cody Wichmann to secure the four-game sweep.

“Four games in two days is a lot of baseball. The next 10 days for us are really important, because we have four at Concordia-St. Paul next weekend,” Ische said. “There’s a lot of baseball jam-packed here … But I think we’re peaking at the right time.”