The extended road trip continues for the University of Minnesota Duluth this week as the Bulldogs travel to Bismarck, N.D. for a Tuesday twinbill against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival the University of Mary.
The weekend handed UMD (7-18, 3-12 NSIC) one disappointment after another as the Bulldogs' latest attempt at a home-opening series was moved to Sioux Falls, and then Augustana College swept UMD in a weather-shortened three-game set at Karras Park.
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The high-powered Viking offense plated 32 runs on the weekend, but just 27 were earned as the Bulldog defense failed its pitching staff with 10 errors across the three games. Sophomore left-hander
Bo Hellquist posted the best outing for UMD, pitching a seven-inning complete game in game one but taking the tough-luck loss to fall to 1-4 on the season despite a 4.09 ERA and .221 opponent's batting average (sixth-best in the NSIC) in his six starts in 2014. Augustana relied on big innings to take down the Bulldogs, and in the three-game series scored seven runs in the first and third innings, and 13 runs in the seventh inning in pulling away late.
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UMD got its offensive boost from junior catcher
Beau Goff, who batted .500/.500/1.000 on the weekend with a home run, a double, and a pair of runs batted in. Sophomore third baseman
Jimmy Heck continued his offensive resurgence with three runs batted in and his first home run of the season, while freshman designated hitter
Grant Farley added his first longball of 2014 as well. As a squad, UMD batted .232/.284/.427 and struck out 19 times compared to just four walks. The Bulldogs will now look to reverse with a pair of NSIC series this week, beginning with the road trip Tuesday.
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| Projected Lineup |
| 2B | Austin Grundstad (Sr.) | .374 |
| DH | Dwight Mack (So.) | .300 |
| LF | Jason Shaul (Jr.) | .394 |
| 1B | Derek Somerville (Sr.) | .314 |
| RF | Andrew Beyer (Fr.) | .272 |
| C | Sam Ingemansen (Sr.) | .181 |
| 3B | Mason Schliff (So.) | .233 |
| SS | Alex Deyle (Sr.) | .243 |
| CF | Trenten Hove (Fr.) | .234 |
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Live StatsU-Mary (10-22, 5-11 NSIC) has suffered a similar fate to the Bulldogs so far in 2014 when it comes to overall record but have had the fortune of playing on their home field until this weekend's series with Upper Iowa was cut short due to cold temperatures. Still, the Marauders have not enjoyed much of an advantage at home, though, as they're 4-10 this year in Bismarck including a 3-5 record on their current homestand.
Junior leftfielder Jason Shaul earned NSIC Player of the Week honors a week ago after hitting .600/.652/.950 with seven doubles, nine RBIs, and seven runs scored. With a .394/.511/.567 slash line, Shaul ranks tenth, third, and twelfth in the NSIC in each category. Senior second baseman Austin Grundstad has crossed the plate 29 times, almost once per game, and has 46 hits, tied for eighth-most in the conference. Like UMD, the Marauders have gotten some offensive firepower from a freshman rightfielder in Andrew Beyer, who has 25 singles on the year for a .272 batting average while getting on-base at a .385 clip.
Junior pitcher Michael Vollrath has been the Marauders' most consistent starter with a 4.99 ERA in nine appearances, including six starts. He has just 16 strikeouts in 39.2 innings pitched but does have a pair of complete games including one shutout with a 2-4 record. Senior Sam Salveson has stepped into the starting rotation in April with three straight wins in starts against Wayne State, Bemidji State, and Upper Iowa, including a pair of complete games, lowering his season ERA to 1.57.
Opening pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1:30 p.m. in Bismarck on Tuesday.
