Minnesota Baseball Powers Past Sioux Falls, Advance to Round Three of NSIC Tournament with 14-5 Victory

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Minnesota State Mavericks exploded offensively to secure a dominant 14-5 win over Sioux Falls on Thursday afternoon at Ronken Field, advancing to the third round of the NSIC Tournament.

After a slow start, the Mavericks quickly turned the momentum in their favor. Sioux Falls struck first with a three-run home run off the bat in the top of the second inning. The Mavericks came back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs of their own. Nick Baker launched a three-run home run to left field to give MSU its first lead of the game, 4-3.

The Cougars briefly regained the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth, but the Mavericks were far from finished. Minnesota State responded once again in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game at 5-5. From that point forward, it was all Mavericks. A two-RBI single by Jake Berkland in the fifth inning gave MSU the lead. The offense erupted for six more runs in the sixth, fueled by at-bats, aggressive baserunning, and timely hits, stretching the lead to 12-5.

Berkland added a sacrifice fly RBI in the sixth to finish with four RBIs on the day, while Zach Stroh crushed a solo home run in the eighth to cap off the scoring. Stroh and Berkland each recorded multiple hits, leading an MSU lineup that tallied 13 total hits and drew eight walks.

On the mound, the Mavericks’ bullpen held strong, combining five shutout innings and allowing just four hits to close out the game.

“Mavericks win today! Guys picking each other up throughout the game. Withstood a rough start, Hunter Day and the bottom of our lineup stepped up in a big way.” Said head coach Matt Magers.

With the win, Minnesota State improves to 46-5 overall and moves on to face Augustana in the third round of the NSIC Tournament at noon on Friday at the Birdcage in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.