CLEARWATER, Fla.- The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team picked up a split on their opening day at the Winning Inning Invitational at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fla. Friday. The Golden Eagles lost game one due to a 15-run seventh inning from Kentucky Wesleyan College as UMC fell 27-11. In game two, the Golden Eagles used opportune hits and a complete game from Nolan Wahlberg (Jr., RHP, Blaine, Minn./Criminal Justice) to pick up a 6-5 win. The Golden Eagles are 4-7 on the 2015 season.

In game one, Alan Frank (Sr., LHP, St. Michael, Minn./Applied Studies) got the ball for the Golden Eagles. Frank would go two innings and give up four earned runs on five hits.

Kentucky Wesleyan would take the early 1-0 lead as Johnathan Eberhardt doubled to score Dennon Koziol.

The Panthers would add three runs led by a Chad Klein two-RBI double as Kentuck Wesleyan chased Frank from the game and went ahead 4-0.

The Golden Eagles would cut the lead to 4-1 in the top of the fourth when Patrick Higgins (So., OF, Eagan, Minn./Criminal Justice) scored on a wild pitch.

Kentucky Wesleyan would go ahead 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth led by another Klein double.

UMC would be able to cut the lead to 6-2 in the top of the fifth as Ethan Mushitz (Fr., IF, East Grand Forks, Minn./Criminal Justice) scored on a ground out.

The Golden Eagles would come up big in the sixth with four runs to knot things up 6-6 led by a three RBI double from Dalton Parks (Jr., OF, West Valley City, Utah/Sports and Rec Management).

UMC would go ahead 11-6 in the top of the seventh led by a two RBI triple from Ryan Haggstrom (Jr., 1B/P, Apple Valley, Minn./Accounting). However, the lead wouldn't last long as the Panthers would respond with a 15-run inning to take the 21-6 lead. The Golden Eagles would pick up the 27-6 win.

Luke Thoma (Jr., RHP, Little Falls, Minn./Nautral Resources) would com on in relief and give up three earned runs on six hits. The loss for UMC would go to Cody Pamperin (So., RHP, Shakopee, Minn./Golf and Turf Management) who gave up six runs, none of them earned.
The win for Kentucky Wesleyan went to Jordan Collier.

UMC was led on the game by Haggstrom, who was 2-of-5 with three RBI's and one run scored. Mushitz was 2-of-4 with two runs scored and Jennings was 2-of-3 with two runs scored.

Kentucky Wesleyan looked to Klein, who was 4-of-6 with two runs scored and six RBI's. Eberhardt was 3-of-5 with six RBI's and four runs scored.

In game two against Ohio Valley, Wahlberg got the start and got the win, going a complete nine innings. He gave up five runs, two of them earned, on nine hits.

The Fighting Scots got the scoring started as Logan Dan would score on an error by Parks in center field to make it 1-0 in the top of the second.

The Golden Eagles would respond in the bottom of the second as Riley Thompson (Fr., OF, Owatonna, Minn./Criminal Justice) scored on a Zach Frazier (R-Fr., C, Grand Rapids, Minn./Natural Resources) single.

UMC would extend their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third. A Kenny Perez (Jr., DH/1B, Orlando, Fla./Health Science) single would drive in Haggstrom. A Frazier single would then drive in Jennings and Perez.

Ohio Valley would cut the lead to 4-3 in the top of the fourth led by a Dan double.

A Perez double in the bottom of the fifth would drive in Thomas Kinsella (Jr., IF, North Branch, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) to make it 5-3.

A Dan single would drive in Marlon Bellmas in the sixth to cut the UMC lead to 5-4.

The Fighting Scots would be able to knot up the game at 5-5 on a Tyler Proctor that scored Bellmas in the eighth.

UMC would respond though as Kinsella would hit a ball hard into shallow right. Wes Hatfield would try to make the catch after making the run on the ball but Kinsella would get the hit, driving in Mushitz for what would be the game-winning run.

Wahlberg would come through in the heat and after throwing 116 pitches to hold on for the Golden Eagles and get his second win of the year.

The Golden Eagles were led by Kinsella, who was 3-of-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Frazier was 2-of-4 with three RBI's, while Perez was 2-of-5 with one run scored and two RBI's.

The Fighting Scots were led by Dan, who was 3-of-4 with two runs scored and two RBI's.

The Golden Eagles will continue their Clearwater trip as they play Upper Iowa University at 9 a.m. C.T., Sat. March 13 at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
 
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