Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DICKINSON,N.D. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team picked up a split on day two of the series against Dickinson State University. The Blue Hawks overcame a 7-1 deficit in the fifth inning of game one to win 8-7. In game two, UMC was led by a complete game from Jarad Nelson (Sr., RHP, Karlstad, Minn.) on the mound as they won 4-1. The games were played at Astoria Field at South Side Ball Park in Dickinson, N.D.

The victory over Dickinson State University gives UMC a series win over the Blue Hawks as they went 3-1 on the weekend. The series victory marked the first time since 2003 and the second time in program history that UMC has secured a series win in a four-game weekend series. The Golden Eagles improved to 3-5 on the season with the split, while Dickinson State moved to 6-8.

In game one, the Golden Eagles would give the ball to Cody Pamperin (Jr., RHP, Shakopee, Minn.), who would go 4.1 innings and give up just one earned run on eight hits with three strikeouts. UMC however struggled defensively behind their pitching with three errors on the game, helping to contribute to the loss.

UMC would get on the board first in game one in the top of the second when Patrick Higgins (Jr., OF, Eagan, Minn.) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Colton Haight (Sr., C/OF, Rogers, Minn.).

The Blue Hawks would knot the game up 1-1 when Austin Tennant singled off Pamperin to score Jeff VanCleave.

The Golden Eagles would have a big top of the fifth led by a lead-off home run in which Kenny Perez (Sr., DH, Orlando, Fla.) took the third pitch of the at-bat and powered it over the center field fence.

UMC would continue the scoring in the frame as Dalton Parks (Sr., OF, West Valley City, Utah) came up with a clutch double to deep right to plate Higgins. The Golden Eagles would continue the big inning as Ethan Mushitz (So., IF, East Grand Forks, Minn.) hit an RBI single to right to drive in Parks to make it 4-1.

After chasing Buchanan from the mound, Ryan Haggstrom (Sr., 1B, Apple Valley, Minn.) would come through with a single off Dantini to drive in Mushitz and make it 5-1. Haight would then single to give UMC two base-runners. That is when Reed Hjelle (Fr., 1B/OF, East Grand Forks, Minn.) would get on base, driving in Haggstrom and Haight to make it 7-1, giving UMC six runs in the inning.

The Blue Hawks would have a big bottom of the fifth to cut into the Golden Eagle lead. The scoring would start as Jake Young doubled to score Tennant, who reached on a Mushitz error. Sagan Osborne would then single to drive in Ryan Mitchell, who reached on a Jason Angelo (So., IF, Manteca, Calif.) error. A Jacob Cuch double would drive in Young and Osborne and chase Pamperin from the game after a tough inning defensively for the Golden Eagles.

Nate Albrecht (Fr., LHP, Wahpeton, N.D.) would come on in relief and strike out Jake Hignite. VanCleave would then groundout to drive in Cuch to the lead to 7-6.

Dickinson State would have another big inning in the bottom of the sixth. After a lead-off walk to Tennant, Marcus Campbell (Sr., RHP, St. Croix Falls, Wis.) would come on to relieve Albrecht. The bases would be loaded when Campbell got Jake Young to ground in to a double play, however Tennant would cross home to knot it up at 7-7. Osborne then came through with a single to drive in Mitchell and give the Blue Hawks the 8-7 advantage, which they ultimately hold on to.

The loss for game one went to Campbell, who pitched one inning and gave up no earned runs on two hits.

The win for the Blue Hawks went to Gabriel Lizarraga, who came on in relief and went 2.1 innings and shut down the Golden Eagles with no runs and no hits.

UMC was led at the plate in game one by Haight, who was 2-of-3 with two runs scored, while Haggstrom was 2-of-4 with one run scored and one RBI and Hjelle was 1-of-4 with two RBI's.

In game two, the story of the game was the pitching of Nelson, who threw 104 pitches and had seven strikeouts and just seven hits with nobody walked in a complete game win for the Golden Eagles. The outing gives Nelson his first win of the season, but his second-consecutive quality start for UMC.

The Golden Eagles would get on board first in the top of the first as Mushitz scored on a VanCleave error to make it 1-0.


UMC would add to the lead in the top of the third as Haggstrom doubled to right field to drive in Mushitz to make it 2-0.

After four scoreless innings from both sides, Hignite would single to drive in Osborne to cut the UMC lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth.

UMC would respond in the top of the ninth as Hjelle would cross the plate on a Chad MacKay passed ball. Kinsella would then come through in the clutch with a double to left to plate pinch-runner Timothy Scott, Jr. (Sr., OF, Macon, Ga.) to extend the lead to 4-1.

Nelson preserved his win as he struck out the first two he faced and got John Hollingsworth to fly out to center field to give UMC the 4-1 win.

The Golden Eagles were led at the plate in game two by Mushitz, who was 2-of-3 with two runs scored, while Kinsella was 3-of-4 with one RBI.

UMC will return to action as they head to the Extra Innings Youth Foundation Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., for seven games. The Golden Eagles will open up play Sat., March 12 at 10 a.m. against University of Missouri-St. Louis at Frank Tack Park. Games will also be played at Jack Russell Stadium, the old Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training complex and at Thomas B. Southard Stadium in Saint Leo, Fla.