Photo by Samantha Davis: Southwest Minnesota State University pitcher Carter Petron throws from the mound during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game against Minot State on March 28 in Milroy. SMSU took on Concordia-St. Paul in Minnetonka over the weekend, dropping three of the four games in the series.

MINNETONKA — Quality pitching wasn’t enough to get the Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team over the weekend in its four-game series against Concordia-St. Paul in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The Mustangs claimed the first game of the series in 10 innings on Saturday, with Evan Behn’s two-run homer breaking a scoreless tie for a 2-0 victory. Yet, SMSU lost the second Saturday game by a score of 8-2 and was swept 3-0, 3-2 on Sunday to drop three of the series’ four games.

The series was originally supposed to be played at Barnes Field in St. Paul, which would have marked SMSU’s first time playing on the field since 2016, but the game was relocated to Veterans Field in Minnetonka due to weather conditions.

Chmielewski tossed eight scoreless innings in SMSU’s lone win while Cameron Jensen tossed another two in relief to pick up the victory on his record. Bennett Knapper, Carter Petron and Shay Endres each recorded a loss for SMSU on the hill.

SMSU falls to 17-10 overall on the season, and its 12-8 conference record drops it from second place in the NSIC to fourth. 

The Mustangs will have the opportunity to improve their standing on Wednesday when they take on third-place Wayne State College (17-12, 13-7 NSIC) at Milroy Yankee Field. It will be the Mustangs’ second time this season having games relocated to Yankee Field after they swept Minot State in a four-game series there earlier in the season. 

Wednesday’s doubleheader against Wayne State is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m.

SATURDAY’S DOUBLEHEADER

CSP 0

The game was locked in a scoreless tie at the end of the seventh inning, forcing the game into extras. Both SMSU and Concordia put a runner on third with two outs in the seventh, but both failed to push it across.

In the 10th, the tension was finally broken when Behn followed a Cory Banton Single with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season.

Behn was one of two Mustangs with two hits in the game, along with Jared Cortez. Carter Lang also reached base twice on a single and a walk.

Jensen hit the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 10th to put the tying run at the plate, but Jensen got a strikeout, a foul out and a ground out to end the game with his first win of the season.

Chmielewski starred in his start, but couldn’t pick up a victory on his record due to a lack of run support. He struck out seven batters over the eight scoreless innings, giving up five hits and a walk. Each of the five hits he allowed was a single.

For the Golden Bears, Korey Dahlberg also tossed eight scoreless innings while giving up five hits, all singles. Dahlberg also struck out five batters while walking a pair and hitting another pair.

In relief, Jack Greenlun dropped his record to 1-5 on the season after allowing two runs on two hits and a walk. Greenlun also struck out five batters.

SMSU 2

Despite building an early 2-0 lead, the Mustangs lacked the offensive firepower to keep pace with Concordia-St. Paul’s response in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Golden Bears scored eight unanswered runs to close out the game with an 8-2 win.

As the second game of the doubleheader, the matchup was originally scheduled to be a 9-inning game but was reduced to 7 after the first game went to extras.

Caleb Gardow hit a sacrifice fly to score Bryce Woitalla and Levi Lampert ran home for a run when the Golden Bears tried to pick off Cortez, giving SMSU a 2-0 lead after the top of the first.

Yet, that lead was short-lived. Kal Brohmer walked to lead off the inning and Noah Juliar doubled to put two runners in scoring position when SMSU took out starting pitcher Jameson Quinn for Bennett Knapper. 

The pitching change didn’t do the Mustangs much good; a passed ball allowed Brohmer to score and Trett Joles scored Juliar on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two runs apiece. 

With two outs, Eric Berg singled into right field, advanced to third on a Will Husemann single and scored the go-ahead run on a Charlie Harms single up the middle.

Knapper falls to 1-1 on the season with the loss, allowing one earned and two unearned runs on three hits over two innings. Quinn was tagged for two earned runs on four walks and a hit over 2 1/3 frames.

Concordia-St. Paul bolstered its 3-2 lead with a five-run fifth inning. Joles started the rally by reaching first on an error by Woitalla at short with one out. Another error by Bantam at first put Berg on when SMSU pulled Knapper for Cullen Huppert.

Husemann kept the Concordia rally alive with a single to score Joles and a walk to Harms loaded the bases when SMSU made its second pitching change of the inning, putting in Jerod Cyrus for Huppert. 

Concordia-St. Paul continued its offensive assault when Kaden Johnson walked to force in one run and Koby McBrooke walked to force in another, making the score 6-2 when Andrew Dent relieved Cyrus. Huppert and Cyrus were charged with combined three earned runs allowed without getting an out.

A Brohmer sacrifice fly scored one run and, after Vinny Mauro relieved Dent after just one batter, Juliar drew another bases-loaded walk to make the score 8-2.

SMSU pitched a total of eight pitchers in the game, three of whom got more than one out before being relieved. Mauro pitched one scoreless inning, Dent and Cole Frisbie each pitched one scoreless out and Charlie Jacobson was pulled after walking the lone batter he faced.

Gavin Rusch improved his record to 2-2 on the season after allowing two unearned runs on two hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters in the game.

A Lampert single and Bantam double were the lone SMSU hits of the game. Husemann led Concordia with two hits while Harms and Johnson each drew three walks, as well as a single for Johnson.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

SMSU 0

In the first inning of game 3, Brohmer hit a leadoff double and scored on a Joles single. The pair of hits gave Concordia-St. Paul all the run support it needed on the day, shutting out the Mustangs in a 3-0 win for the Golden Bears. 

Carter Petron allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks over five innings but fell to 4-2 with the loss. For the Golden Bears, Ian Segna went the full seven innings while holding SMSU to four hits and two walks to improve to 4-1.

Bantam had a single and a double for SMSU while Lang and Woitalla each singled. 

The Golden Bears padded their lead in the fifth when Juliar hit an RBI double to score Brohmer and Berg hit a sacrifice fly to score Bennett McCollow.

Brohmer, Juliar and Trett accounted for the lone CSP hits of the game, with Brohmer contributing a double. McCollow also drew a pair of walks. 

Knapper pitched one inning of relief, retiring each of the three batters he faced.

Game 4

SMSU 2

Facing a one-run deficit, Concordia-St. Paul surged ahead of SMSU in the second inning of their 3-2 win over the Mustangs in the series finale. Husemann drew a walk and, with two outs, Johnson doubled to left field to score Husemann for the tying run. McBroome followed with another RBi double to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Golden Bears before the inning ended on a ground out.

Cortez reached base in the fifth inning on a fielder’s choice that saw Nathan Wheeler tagged out at third. With two outs, Bantam singled to advance Cortez to third and Behn hit a single into right field to score Cortez for the tying run. 

In the bottom of the frame, McBroome and Brohmer singled consecutively to put runners on the corners with no outs. McCollow then grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, but McBroome scored to give Concordia-St. Paul what would be the game-winning run.

SMSU struck first in the top of the first when Cortez singled and scored on a Behn single. 

Behn, Woitalla and Wheeler each singled twice in the game, with Behn also racking up two RBIs and a walk, while Lampert had a double for SMSU’s lone extra-base hit.

Endres fell to 2-2 on the season after recording the loss. He gave up three earned runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. Jensen pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out a pair of batters while allowing one hit. 

Juliar had a game-high three hits with a triple for Concordia-St. Paul while Brohmer and McBroome each had another pair of hits. 

CSP starting pitcher Fritz Meyer left the game with a no-decision after allowing two earned runs on seven hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings. In relief, Reece Piontek earned his first win of the season with 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out eight Mustangs while surrendering two hits and a walk.