BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Baseball Field) – The Bemidji State University baseball team posted a 4-3 10-inning comeback victory in game one of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader to pick up a split with Minot State University Saturday at BSU Baseball Field. BSU lost game two 3-1.
With the game one victory, the Beavers (20-21, 14-14 NSIC) reached the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season, which stands as a first time in program history.
With the one-run, extra inning victory, Bemidji State improved to 12-1 in one-run games and 5-1 in extra innings this season.
Sunday ends the regular season for both BSU and Minot State (18-22, 12-14 NSIC). Bemidji State is in ninth, MISU is in 10th in the NSIC standings heading into the final day and both have a mathematical opportunity to finish in the top eight and advance to the NSIC Tournament, which will be announced Sunday evening. Both teams are chasing Southwest Minnesota State University, who owns a 15-14 NSIC record.
Sunday serves as senior day for the 2014 BSU baseball class.
Playing in the final regular season weekend of their career, the BSU seniors came up big in game one.
Trailing 3-0 in the sixth, senior outfielder Chad Hanson (St. Paul, Minn.) sent his second home run of the season and fourth of his career over the right field fence.
Facing a game one loss, senior Zach Braun (C, Lakeville, Minn.) connected with a one-out pitch and sent it into left center field to score two and tie the game 3-3.
In the 10th, Braun got the Beavers started with a lead-off double. After BSU was able to load the bases, senior Cole Bjorge (OF, Prior Lake, Minn.) pushed a one-out pitch over the infield to score Braun and hand the Beavers a 4-3 victory.
Each team recorded 10 hits, while Bjorge went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Braun was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. The three-hit game was Bjorge’s second of the season and ninth multi-hit game. Braun posted his team-leading 10th multi-RBI game of the season.
Freshman Terry Hadden (RHP, Elk River, Minn.) hurled seven complete innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts. Junior Drake Huggans (RHP, Greenley, Colo.) improved to 3-1, as he picked up the victory after throwing three innings and allowing two hits with three strikeouts.
Game two started well for Bemidji State, as Braun posted his fourth homer of the season to give BSU an early 1-0 lead in the first. The Beavers had three hits in the inning, but it would be five more frames before the home team would post another.
Before BSU recorded a hit in the sixth, Minot State was able to open a 3-1 lead. The late-game magic wasn’t there in game two and Bemidji State suffered the 3-1 loss.
Freshman catcher Bo Schmitz (St. Cloud, Minn.) went 2-for-3 to record two of the Beavers’ four hits.
Minot State totaled the three earned runs on seven hits. Starter Mark Kosmalski (RS-Fr., RHP, Oakdale, Minn.) went five frames and suffered the loss (1-4) after he allowed the three runs on five hits with a strikeout and zero walks.