AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team dropped a pair of games at the Lake Myrtle Complex in Auburndale, Fla., Thursday, March 9. The Golden Eagles fell 6-2 to Saginaw Valley State University, and 11-1 to Wilmington University.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 6-8 with Thursday's losses. The Golden Eagles are 3-3 at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Saginaw Valley State jumped to 5-8 with Thursday's win. Wilmington improved to 5-4.
Game One
The Cardinals raced out to a 6-0 lead heading into the eighth inning, and Minnesota Crookston was unable to overcome the deficit.
Josh Dykhoff (Fr., RHP/1B, Wadena, Minn.) got the ball on the hill. He tossed five innings, allowing four runs, on seven hits. Dykhoff struck out two and walked two.
Hunter Merillat picked up the win for Saginaw Valley State. He tossed a shutout over seven innings, striking out eight and walking just one. Merillat limited UMN Crookston to just four hits.
Jackson Schneider (R-Sr., Forest Lake, Minn.) pitched two innings in relief for the Golden Eagles. He allowed two runs, on five hits.
Nate Grafsgaard (Jr., RHP, Devils Lake, N.D.) went two innings, allowing no runs, on one hit.
The Golden Eagle bats were held to just six hits.
Mike Hallquist (Jr., 3B/SS, fargo, N.D>) went 1-of-4, with two RBIs.
Danny Wensloff (Jr., OF/C, Roseau, Minn.) finished 1-of-3, with a run scored.
Christian Norby (Jr., OF, Ashby, Minn.) scored a run.
The Cardinals jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the first when Connor Cornwell doubled down the line, bringing home Jaccar Watkins.
Saginaw Valley State extended their advantage with two runs in the fifth. Cornwell came through again with a single, driving in Connor McClennen. The Cardinals pushed their lead to 3-0 when Tucker Roe stole home.
The Cardinals tallied two runs in the sixth. Austin Schweiger delivered a single to plate Martin Money. Saginaw Valley State widened the gap to 5-0 when McClennen put down a bunt single, bringing home Schweiger.
Saginaw Valley State extended their lead to 6-0 in the seventh when Schweiger singled in Cornwell.
The Golden Eagles trimmed the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Hallquist notched a two RBI double, plating
Danny Wensloff, and Norby.
UMN Crookston had the first two players get hit by pitches in the bottom of the eighth. However, C Gruno came on to get three-straight outs to help preserve the Saginaw Valley State win.
Game Two
Wilmington scored nine runs in the sixth and seventh stanzas to defeat the Golden Eagles 11-1. The game was 2-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, but the Wildcats were lifted by a two RBI double from Jack McDonald.
Derin Gaudette (So., RHP, New York Mills, Minn.) started the game and went four innings, allowing one run, on one hit. Gaudette struck out two and walked two.
Brody Sorenson (Jr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) suffered the loss in relief, allowing an unearned run on two hits. Sorenson struck out one.
Jakob Wiirre (Sr., RHP, Mims, Fla.) allowed four unearned runs in one frame. Tad Scherbenke (R-So., RHP, Rapid City, S.D.) allowed two unearned runs in 0.2 innings.
Joey Connelly (Fr., LHP, Eden Prairie, Minn.) allowed no runs on one hit.
The win for the Wildcats went to Matt Warrington, who allowed no earned runs, on five hits. Warrington struck out nine and walked just two.
The Golden Eagles were led at the plate by Hallquist, who continued his impressive season hitting 2-of-2, with a run scored.
Kobe Senn (R-Fr., IF, Fargo, N.D.) went 2-of-3.
Teddy Giefer (Jr., 1B, Courtland, Minn.) finished 1-of-3.
The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the third when
Jake Hjelle (R-Jr., OF/1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.) used a sacrifice fly to bring in Hallquist.
Wilmington tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth when Nick Nocella utilized a sacrifice fly to bring in J.J. Killen. The Wildcats took the lead 2-1 in the fifth when McDonald doubled in Erik Grady.
Wilmington built on their lead in the sixth guided by McDonald's two RBI double, and a two RBI single from Adrian Jimenez. The Wildcats added five runs in the seventh, lifted by Nocella's two-run home run.
The Golden Eagles look to rebound Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. C.T., against Notre Dame College (Ohio), and 2 p.m. C.T. against Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
