CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team picked up the sweep Saturday, May 1 of Bemidji State University. The Golden Eagles walked off with a 7-5 win using a two-run home run from Mason Ruhlman (R-Sr., 2B, Algonac, Mich.) in game one. In the second game, UMN Crookston utilized four RBIs from Landyn Swenson (R-Sr., OF, Devils Lake, N.D.) to pick up an 11-4 win over the Beavers.

The Golden Eagles improve to 21-6 (16-6 NSIC) with Saturday's wins. Minnesota Crookston reached 20 wins for the fifth time since 2016. UMN Crookston has continued their best season in program history. The Golden Eagles are third in the NSIC standings, but they are right behind Augustana University in second place. If UMN Crookston wins tomorrow against Bemidji State they would secure a spot in the NSIC Tournament. The first round of the NSIC Tournament will be hosted at the home site of the top four seeds. Bemidji State falls to 7-27 (6-23 NSIC).

The Golden Eagles have four victories over the Beavers in 2021.

Game One
Ruhlman hit a walk-off home run to power the Golden Eagles to a 7-5 victory. Ruhlman had a three-run home run and a two-run home run on the game. Ruhlman has seven home runs for the 2021 season. He is sixth all-time in school history with 13 home runs.

Tyler Hegg (R-So., RHP, Thompson, N.D.) got the win for the Golden Eagles after pitching 0.1 innings. Conner Richardson (R-So., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) got the start and tossed 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. Richardson had five strikeouts.

Bemidji State's Grant Hartmann pitched a no-hitter through 4.2 innings before Ruhlman's three-run home run broke up the no-hitter. Hartmann gave up five runs, none of them earned, on three hits. Hunter Haggenmiller suffered the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in 1.2 innings of work.

Ruhlman paced Minnesota Crookston for game one. He was 2-of-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Scott Finberg (R-Sr., 3B, Stillwater, Minn.) went 1-of-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Swenson was 1-of-3 with one run scored. The Golden Eagles had three home run for the game, with two from Ruhlman and one from Finberg. UMN Crookston had five hits for the game.

Bemidji State was guided by Noah Boser, who went 1-of-3 with three RBIs and a run scored.

The Beavers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third with a Carter Simon solo shot over the left field fence.

The Golden Eagles tipped the advantage in their favor with Ruhlman's three-run home run to break up the no-hitter and make it 3-1. After a Brock Reller (Sr., OF, Grand Forks, N.D.) triple, Finberg hit a two-run home run to extend the lead to 5-1.

Bemidji State knotted up the game in the top of the seventh. A Boser three-run home run scored himself, Isaiah Grancorvitz, and Parker Borg to trim the deficit to 5-4. Tom Keohen scored on a passed ball to knot up the game at 5-5. Hegg was able to get UMN Crookston out of any further damage to keep the score at 5-5.

Tyler Jochen (R-Jr., 2B/SS, San Jose, Calif.) walked to lead-off the bottom of the seventh. Ruhlman then came through as the hero with a walk-off shot over the right field fence as UMN Crookston walked off with a 7-5 victory.

Game Two
Minnesota Crookston came on late in game two, scoring eight runs in the last three innings to defeat Bemidji State 11-4. Swenson and Parker Stroh (R-Fr., C, Grand Forks, N.D.) each had home runs for the game. Swenson led the way going 3-of-3 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Jack Peppel (R-Fr., 1B, Olivia, Minn.) walked three times in the game. Stroh was 2-of-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Alex Koep (Fr., LHP, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) got the win in relief. Koep went 2.1 innings and allowed just one run on one hit. Brody Sorenson (Fr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.), the team's closer, made his first career start. Sorenson went 4.2 innings and gave up just one run on three hits. Garrett Hohn (R-Sr., RHP, Wausau, Wis.) pitched an inning of relief, allowing an unearned run on two hits. Gregory Diaz (R-Sr., RHP, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) allowed just one run on one hit in an inning of work.

Alex Fietek suffered the loss after allowing three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and four walks. Bemidji State's bats were led by Jack Munson, who went 2-of-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Minnesota Crookston broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth with a Swenson single to center field to plate Reller. Later in the inning, Eli Jung (Sr., OF, Dickinson, N.D.) hit a two RBI double to drive in Swenson and Finberg.

Bemidji State trimmed the UMN Crookston lead to 3-1 when Simon singled in Munson in the top of the fifth.

In the sixth frame, Stroh blasted a ball over the fence, one which the right fielder didn't even see off the bat. Later in the frame, Will Zimmerman (R-Sr., OF, Park River, N.D.) reached on an error, allowing Swenson and Peppel to come in to score to extend the lead to 6-1.

A Munson solo home run in the seventh cut the deficit to 6-2.

Minnesota Crookston responded in the bottom of the seventh with a Swenson two-run home run to score himself and Finberg to make it 8-2.

Bemidji State trimmed the lead to 8-3 with a Grancorvitz single to plate Simon.

UMN Crookston widened the gap to 9-3 when Finberg walked with the bases loaded to bring home pinch-runner Matthew Thielen (Fr., IF, Wheaton, Minn.). Later in the inning, Zimmerman scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-3. Swenson capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Ruhlman to make it 11-3.

Bemidji State got one run back in the top of the ninth with a Simon sacrifice fly to score Michael O'Malley. However, the Beavers couldn't cut into the gap any further as Minnesota Crookston won 11-4.

The Golden Eagles hit five home runs for the game. They have already shattered the previous school record of 37 set during the 2016 season. Minnesota Crookston has 50 home runs for the 2021 season.

UMN Crookston honored their 12 seniors in between games. The Golden Eagles recognized Jayden Grover (R-Sr., RHP, Cooperstown, N.D.), Reller, Ruhlman, Finberg, Zimmerman, T.J. Hokanson (R-Sr., 3B, Chanhassen, Minn.), Diaz, Hohn, Jared Andersen (Sr., LHP, Cannon Falls, Minn.), Swenson, Bobby Chu (R-Sr., C, Redwood City, Calif.), and Jung. Several of the seniors have etched themselves in the record books for the Golden Eagles. They have all been instrumental in building a successful program who has had their best season in program history, and earned their first-ever national ranking in 2021.

UMN Crookston wraps up their regular-season home schedule Sunday, May 2 at 1:30 p.m. against the Beavers.