DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball program picked up a sweep of University of Minnesota Duluth Fri., May 4 at Bulldog Park in Duluth, Minn. The doubleheader sweep is the first for the Golden Eagles since an April 4 mid-week sweep of University of Mary.
 
The Golden Eagles delivered in extra innings in the first game of the double dip. Reed Hjelle (Jr., 1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.) padded his resume for post-season awards with a crucial double to drive in Anthony Stewart (R-Sr., OF, Oak Harbor, Wash.) for the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. James Cullinane (Sr., OF, San Francisco, Calif.) came around to score on a Jonathan Lund (Jr., 3B/DH, Tolna, N.D.) ground out to extend the lead to 8-6. Zach Seipel (Jr., RHP, Eagan, Minn.) shut down the Bulldogs in the bottom of the eighth for his fourth win of the year as the Golden Eagles won 8-6.
 
Minnesota Crookston used a Griffin Fussy (R-Fr., IF, Ham Lake, Minn.) two RBI double and a Hunter Baldwin (R-So., 3B/DH, St. Thomas, N.D.) home run in the early innings of game two to propel the squad to a 6-3 victory. The Golden Eagles also got strong pitching on the hill from Zach Rustad (Jr., LHP, Blaine, Minn.), Louis Gerzin (Jr., RHP, Ely, Minn.), Aaron Hollcraft (Jr., LHP, Crookston, Minn.) and Dalton Grose (R-Fr., LHP, Waterville, Minn.)
 
Minnesota Crookston improves to 22-27 (8-22 NSIC) with Friday's sweep in the Zenith City. The Golden Eagles are just two wins away from matching their 24 wins from the 2017 season, which fell one win short of a program record for victories. Minnesota Duluth still has an outside shot at the NSIC Tournament if they sweep Saturday against the Golden Eagles. Concordia University-St. Paul must also sweep University of Sioux Falls and Northern State University must lose both to Winona State University.
 
Game One
The Golden Eagles and Bulldogs played a back-and-forth affair in the opener Friday. Minnesota Duluth got out to a 3-1 lead going into the top of the fourth. The Golden Eagles climbed right back into the fray with one swing of the bat as Stewart put his fifth home run of the season over the fence for a three-run blast. Minnesota Crookston built their lead out to 6-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth. UMD was able to cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth and forced extra innings with a Brett Milazzo solo shot in the bottom of the seventh. Minnesota Crookston was able to bounce back with Hjelle's double and Lund's RBI, while Seipel preserved the win with strong pitching in the eighth as the Golden Eagles on 8-6.
 
Seipel moved to 4-2 for the Golden Eagles on the 2018 season. One of the top closers in NCAA Division II, blew the save in the seventh with Milazzo's home run, but rebounded to earn the victory. Seipel went 3.2 innings in relief and allowed just one run on one hit with seven strikeouts and no walks.
 
Justin Yutrzenka (So., RHP, Argyle, Minn.) got the nod as the starter and went 4.1 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits with one strikeout and two walks.
 
Thomas Bruchu suffered the loss in relief for the Bulldogs after giving up one earned run on two hits in 1.1 innings.
 
Jalen Busker started for Minnesota Duluth and allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 3.2 innings of work. Evan Vick also pitched for the Bulldogs and let in two runs on four hits in three frames.
 
Anthony Stewart lifted the Golden Eagles at the plate by going 3-of-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Hjelle finished 2-of-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Ethan Mushitz (Sr., SS, East Grand Forks, Minn.) was 2-of-3 with one run scored, while Ben Thoma (Fr., UT, Clearbrook, Minn.) was 2-of-3.
 
Minnesota Duluth was paced by Milazzo as he went a perfect 3-of-3 with one RBI and three runs scored. Henry George was 2-of-4 with one RBI and a run scored. Tyler Midas finished 2-of-4, while Chase Thomas was 2-of-4 with one run scored.
 
The Bulldogs got out to an early 1-0 advantage when Milazzo scored as Ben Danielson hit into a double play.
 
Minnesota Duluth extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second when Drew Stewart hit a two-run home run to drive in himself and Thomas.
 
The Golden Eagles sliced the deficit down to 3-1 as Stewart came to the dish on a wild pitch.
 
Stewart came through again in the top of the fourth with a three-run blast, his fifth of the season, to drive in himself, Fussy, and Mitchell Bornhauser (Sr., OF, Northfield, Minn.).
 
Minnesota Crookston extended their lead to 6-3 in the top of the fifth. Hjelle scored the first run of the frame on a wild pitch. Mushitz then came into score on a safety squeeze bunt from Thoma.
 
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth. George delivered a single to plate Milazzo to cut the lead to 6-4. UMD pulled within one run as George scored on a Chris Saltzmann ground out.
 
The Golden Eagles looked to hold on for the 6-5 win but Milazzo had other plans with his lead-off solo shot to knot the game up. Seipel would strike out the next three to keep the score tied going into extra innings.
 
Minnesota Crookston took the lead back 7-6 with a Hjelle double to drive in Stewart. A security run crossed later in the frame when Stewart scored on a Lund to move the score to 8-6.
 
Seipel was able to shut down Minnesota Duluth to preserve the 8-6 victory for the Golden Eagles.
 
Game Two
 
The Golden Eagles used early runs in the second game to come away with the 6-3 victory over Minnesota Duluth. Minnesota Crookston also got strong pitching on the game from Rustad, Gerzin, Hollcraft and Grose.
 
The victory went to Gerzin in relief as he allowed no runs on no hits in 1.2 innings with four strikeouts and just one walk. Rustad put the Golden Eagles in the strong position as the starter as he gave up just two runs on two hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Hollcraft pitched one inning and allowed one run on one hit. Grose continued his strong pitching of late as he earned his first career save. Grose allowed no runs and no hits with one walk in one frame.
 
Colin Baumgard suffered the loss for Minnesota Duluth after giving up five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work. The Bulldogs were strong in relief and four pitchers gave up just one run on three hits in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen.
 
Anthony Stewart continued his big day by going 3-of-5 with one RBI and one run scored. Baldwin went 2-of-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Thoma was 1-of-3 with two runs scored. Fussy finished 1-of-2 with two RBIs.
 
UMD was led by Drew Stewart, who was 2-of-2 with one RBI and a run scored.
 
Baldwin got Minnesota Crookston on the board in the top of the first with a single to bring Stewart to the dish. A Fussy single to right center extended the lead to 3-0 as he drove in Mushitz and Scott Mortenson (Sr., OF, East Grand Forks, Minn.).
 
Minnesota Duluth cut the lead to 3-1 as Danielson hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Milazzo.
 
Minnesota Crookston added a pair of runs in the top of the third starting with a Baldwin solo shot to move the lead to 4-1. Zach Frazier (R-Sr., C, Grand Rapids, Minn.) then singled to bring Thoma in to move the lead to 5-1.
 
The Bulldogs sliced the deficit to 5-2 as Eric Yachinich walked with the bases loaded to score Midas. Gerzin pitched out of the inherited bases loaded situation with a pair of strikeouts to preserve the lead for the Golden Eagles.
 
Minnesota Duluth cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth with a Drew Stewart solo home run.
 
Minnesota Crookston got the run back in the top of the seventh as Anthony Stewart singled to plate Thoma to move the advantage to 6-3.
 
Grose was able to keep Minnesota Duluth at bay in the bottom of the seventh to earn his first career save and preserve the 6-3 win for the Golden Eagles.
 
Minnesota Crookston wraps up the 2018 season Sat., May 5 at 12 and 2 p.m. versus Minnesota Duluth. The games will be the final two in the careers for seniors Frazier, Anthony Stewart, James Cullinane, Bornhauser, Mushitz, Mortenson, Jason Angelo, Jacob Butcher, Gabriel Cavasos, Wyatt Huso and David Anaya.