ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The No. 24 University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team fell 9-0 and 8-1 to St. Cloud State University Saturday, April 24 at Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minn. The losses mark the first doubleheader sweep UMN Crookston has suffered in 2021, as they have had a historic season.

Minnesota Crookston falls to 17-5 (12-5 NSIC) with the losses. St. Cloud State improves to 14-10 (12-7 NSIC) with the victories. The Golden Eagles remain in second place in the NSIC standings, while the Huskies moved up to fourth in the conference. UMN Crookston has split with the Huskies this season as they won two non-conference games with St. Cloud State March 7 and 8 in Fort Scott, Kan.

Game One
Minnesota Crookston was one-hit in the first game in a 9-0 loss to St. Cloud State. The Huskies were led by Matt Osterberg, who allowed just one hit and gave up two walks, with no runs allowed in six innings. Eli Emerson pitched one inning of relief for the Huskies. Osterberg moved to 2-2 with Saturday's victory.

Conner Richardson (R-So., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) got the start and went five innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, with three strikeouts, and two walks allowed. Jackson Schneider allowed four runs on four hits in 0.2 innings of work, while Joey Greco went 0.1 innings and got his one batter faced out.

Mason Ruhlman (R-Sr., 2B, Algonac, Mich.) picked up the one hit for UMN Crookston.

Jake Shusterich led St. Cloud State, going 2-of-2 with three RBIs.

The Huskies got on the scoreboard first when Matt Quade doubled to right center in the second to drive in Shusterich.

In the fifth inning, Lenny Walker doubled to right field to score Paul Steffensen to make it 2-0. Later in the fifth, in a John Nett single down the left field line plated Walker to make it 3-0. The Huskies rounded out the fifth when Max Gamm scored on an error.

The Huskies moved the lead to 6-0 with a Gamm single to drive in Tyler Schiller. Later in the inning, Shusterich had a bases clearing double to score Tate Wallat, Gamm, and Nett to make it 9-0, the score by which St. Cloud State would win.

Game Two
Minnesota Crookston fell 8-1 in the second game as they struggled again at the plate, picking up two hits on the game off a strong St. Cloud State pitching staff.

Trevor Koenig got the win for the Huskies, as the 6-11 lefty, a former draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, went 8.1 innings. Koenig had 10 strikeouts and gave up just two hits.

Jayden Grover (R-Sr., RHP, Cooperstown, N.D.) got the start and went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He had one strikeout and four walks. Jake Osowski (R-Fr., RHP, East Grand Forks, Minn.) went 3.2 innings and gave up just two runs on two hits. Trace Brayton (R-Fr., LHP, Prentice, Wis.) pitched one inning and allowed two runs on two hits.

Minnesota Crookston was led by Conner Fonger (R-Fr., OF, Superior, Wis.), who went 1-of-3 with a run scored, while Ben Bryant (R-So., SS, Fargo, N.D.) went 1-of-2 with an RBI.

The Huskies were led by Shusterich, who went 3-of-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Matt Quade was 1-of-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

St. Cloud State jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Shusterich singled to plate Wallat. Later in the first, Schiller doubled to left center to drive in Quade and Shusterich to extend the lead to 3-0.

Minnesota Crookston got a run back in the third when Bryant doubled to left to bring in Fonger to cut the deficit to 3-1.

St. Cloud State extended their lead to 4-1 in the fourth when Nett singled to score Drew Bulson.

In the fifth, the Huskies pushed their advantage to 5-1 when QUade doubled to bring in Shusterich. Later in the frame, Steffensen singled to right center to bring in Quade.

St. Cloud State widened the gap to 8-1 in the eighth when Wallat singled to score Nett and Steffensen.

Minnesota Crookston will wrap up their series with the Huskies Sunday, April 25 at 12 p.m. at Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minn.