CLEARWATER, Fla.– Zach Frazier (R-Jr., C, Grand Rapids, Minn.) one of the emotional leaders of the University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team, would hit a single down the right field line to drive in Reed Hjelle (So., 1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.) for the 5-4 win in the bottom of the ninth over Mansfield University. The Golden Eagles would hold the 4-1 lead going into the top of the seventh but their struggles with relief pitching would continue as they gave up three runs to the Mounties in the frame to knot it up 4-4. Frazier would come on with men on first and second and one out as he pulled through to lead the U of M Crookston to victory.

The Golden Eagles have struggled in relief especially in Florida so far this year. Minnesota Crookston has pulled their starters with leads in all four games in Clearwater this season. They now sit at 2-2 in the Clearwater Invitational in 2017.

Minnesota Crookston evens up their record at 5-5 on the season. Mansfield drops to 7-6 on the season. The Golden Eagles are slated to play a three-game series against the Mounties.

Justin Yutrzenka (Fr., RHP, Argyle, Minn.) put together another strong start for Minnesota Crookston as the freshman from Argyle, Minn., went 5.2 innings giving up just one run on four hits with three strikeouts. Yutrzenka has been a stand-out so far through the first 10 games of the season. He has posted a 1-0 mark with a 2.25 ERA in 16.0 innings pitched this season.
The Golden Eagles would threaten out of the gate as Patrick Higgins (Sr., OF, Eagan, Minn.) singled to left field and Hjelle walked to give Minnesota Crookston two on with just one out. However, Ridge Walker would get two key outs to keep the game scoreless.

The Mounties would come back in the top of the first and put up a threat. Ryan Paige started things with a leadoff walk, while Jerry Chavarria hit a single to give Mansfield two on with no out. However, Yutrzenka got Scott Rockwell to ground into a double play and Brady Mengel to ground out to second to keep the game scoreless.

Minnesota Crookston would continue to struggle to take advantage of their early opportunities as they left two stranded on base after David Anaya (R-Jr., UT, Tucson, Ariz.) singled and Riley Thompson (Jr., OF, Owatonna, Minn.) was hit by a pitch. However, Walker again got out of the trouble for the Mounties.

The Mounties would put up another threat in the top of the fourth as Peter Pena singled and Paige doubled to right center giving Mansfield two runners in scoring position with one out. However, Yutrzenka stopped them right there getting Chavarria to line out and Rockwell to fly out to hold the game at 0-0.

Minnesota Crookston would finally be the first team to come through with a run in the bottom of the fourth as Ethan Mushitz (Jr., SS, East Grand Forks, Minn.) scored on an error by the pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt. The U of M Crookston would again fail to get runners in though as Thompson and Anaya were stranded on base keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of the Golden Eagles.

The U of M Crookston would get to the Mansfield pitching in the bottom of the fifth. Higgins started things out by reaching on a hit by pitch. The Golden Eagles would then load the bases as Hjelle and James Cullinane (Jr., OF, San Francisco, Calif.) both picked up singles. With the bases now juiced, Mushitz would be hit by a pitch to allow Higgins to cross the plate to make it 2-0. With the bases still loaded and now one out, Anaya would hit a sacrifice fly to left to field to plate Hjelle. They would continue their scoring as Thompson singled through the left side, driving in Cullinane to make it 4-0 Minnesota Crookston.

The Mounties would get their first run of the game in the top of the sixth as Yutrzenka walked the first two batters. He would be replaced by Nate Albrecht (So., LHP, Wahpeton, N.D.), who would give up a single to Paige to drive in Dio Infante to cut the lead to 4-1.

Minnesota Crookston would continue to hold the 4-1 lead into the top of the seventh where they would run into trouble. With two outs, Albrecht would give up a single to Wes Custer and a walk to Taylor Hillson before being pulled in favor of Owen Ellefson (Jr., RHP, Argyle, Minn.). Ellefson would give up a single to Infante to drive in Eric Harms to cut the lead to 4-2. Tanner Klein would then reach on a throwing error by Mushitz to allow Hillson to cross the plate. The Mounties would even up the slate at 4-4 with a Peter Pena single to plate Infante. Ellefson would get out of the inning with a ground out, but not without damage done.

Matthew Dallas (Sr., RHP, Boise, Idaho) would come for the top of the eighth in relief for Minnesota Crookston. Dallas would give up a single to Rockwell and a double to Harms and would walk Hillson to make the bases juiced for the Mounties with two outs. However, he would come through with a big strikeout of Infante to hold the game at 4-4 despite a major scoring threat for Mansfield.

Aaron Hollcraft (So., LHP, Crookston, Minn.) would come on to pitch the ninth and would stabilize things out of the bullpen for the U of M Crookston as he mowed down the Mounties to keep the game at 4-4. Hollcraft would get the win on the game. Going one inning and giving up no runs and no hits.

Hjelle would lead off the inning with a single to center to chase Joe Grober from the game. Joseph Deperno would come on for the Mounties. He would get one out, but would then intentionally walk Mushitz, giving the U of M Crookston two on with one out. That is when Frazier stepped into the box and came up with the biggest hit of the game, a single down the right field line to plate Hjelle to give the Golden Eagles the win 5-4.

The loss went to Grober, who gave up one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts.

Minnesota Crookston was led by Hjelle, who went 3-of-3 with two runs scored. Anaya would go 2-of-2, while Mushitz was 1-of-3 with oen RBI and one run scored and Frazier was 1-of-4 with one RBI.

The Golden Eagles are slated to play Mansfield Wed., March 15 at 8 and 11 a.m. C.T. at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.