Listen To MSU Mankato Game (L 3-1)
THe Bemidji State Beaver baseball team split their games on Saturday in the NSIC COnference Tournament, beating St Cloud State 12-2, then losing in the title game to MSU Mankato 3-1.
BSU ends the season at 25-22, second most wins in program history.
Game One – vs SCSU
The Bemidji State University baseball team continued to get strong senior starting pitching at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Saturday, as right-hander Ryan Anderson (Lino Lakes, Minn.) hurled the Beavers to a 7-2 victory against St. Cloud State University in an NSIC Tournament Elimination Game.
Anderson went eight solid innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits, while the Beavers recorded five two-out runs through five to bounce the Huskies from the tournament and advance to the NSIC Tournament Championship. The Beavers play Minnesota State University, Mankato today at 3:30 p.m. Bemidji State will have to defeat the Mavericks twice, meaning a win today would force a decisive contest Sunday at noon.
With two outs in the third, senior catcher Riley Hirsch (Little Falls, Minn.) posted the team’s first hit on a bunt down the first baseline. Lead-off man junior Chad Hanson (OF, St. Paul, Minn.) then drew a full count walk to set up a junior Zach Braun (C/1B, Lakeville, Minn.) double down the left field line that plated Hirsch. The bases were cleared by the next batter, senior outfielder Trevor Purvis (Rio Rancho, N.M.), who placed a soft single to center to hand the Beavers an early 3-0 lead.
The Huskies responded in the top half of the fourth and placed runners on second and third with one out, but Anderson got two pop ups to end the inning. BSU capitalized in the bottom half and added another two out run to go up 4-0. Ellinghuysen took his 24th hit by pitch of the season to first with two gone, then moved to second on a St. Cloud State error before being waived home on a Hanson opposite field single to left.
Senior Jaryd Marks (1B/RHP, Cottage Grove, Minn.) improved the score to 5-0 in the fifth with yet another two out run, as he sent his fourth home run of the season over the right field fence.
Through seven, Anderson retired the lead-off batter in each inning. In the eighth, the leader-off batter reached and the Huskies used it to get on the board when they posted two runs on two hits to cut the Beaver lead to 5-2.
After a lead-off walk by Marks, senior shortstop Lewis Baumann (Colorado Springs, Colo.) sent his second home run of the tournament over the right field fence to get the two runs back and give the Beavers a 7-2 lead. Bemidji State tacked on five more insurance runs in the eighth, with, what else, but two outs. Braun, Purvis, senior Logan Kalis (OF/RHP, Little Falls, Minn.) and Marks each tallied RBI base hits to improve the BSU lead to 12-2 heading to the ninth.
Junior righty Miles Campbell (Eden Prairie, Minn.) came in to pitch in the ninth and didn’t allow a run or enable at Huskies comeback.
The Beavers totaled 14 runs. Bauman went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Hanson, Braun, Purvis and Marks each tallied two runs each. Purvis went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored, Braun went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Hanson went 2-for-4 with a two runs and an RBI, while Marks went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Anderson improved to 3-5 in 2013 with three strikeouts.
Game Two – vs MSU Mankato
The Bemidji State University baseball team’s run as the No. 8 seed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament ended Saturday in the championship game, when the Beavers lost to Minnesota State University, Mankato 3-1. BSU finished the season with a 25-22 overall record to tie for the second most wins in program history.
In the final 19 games of the season, the Beavers went 13-6, which included a 3-2 run in the NSIC Tournament. The trip to the finals was the furthest BSU has gone in the league tournament.
The Mavericks put together two hits in the first inning on starter lefty Phil Bray (Sr., Chatfield, Minn.) to score a run and take the early 1-0 lead.
Junior Zach Braun (C/1B, Lakeville, Minn.) drew a lead-off walk in the fourth and was moved to third on a single by senior outfielder Trevor Purvis (Rio Rancho, N.M) that landed right on the left field line. Senior Logan Kalis (OF/RHP, Little Falls, Minn.) grounded into a double play to short, but with no outs it plated Braun to tie the game 1-1.
After failing to get a run across when starting the seventh first and second and no outs, Minnesota State came up in the eighth and posted two runs on three hits to knock out Bray and take the 3-1 lead.
After allowing a lead-off hit in the second, Bray – working off just two days rest – proceeded to retire 17 straight Maverick batters before allowing three hits in the eighth.
Junior Chad Hanson (OF, St. Paul, Minn.) singled in the eighth with one out, but the Beavers couldn’t bring anymore magic to the plate and would fall 3-1.
Bemidji State totaled six hits in the loss, getting two from Purvis.
Named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team from Bemidji State: Bray (P), Braun (C), senior Jaryd Marks (1B), freshman Joey Hanowski (2B) and Purvis (OF).