A day after shutting out Wayne State (Neb.) College, the University of Minnesota Duluth fell to a similar fate at the hands of St. Cloud State University and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Rookie of the Year Sheldon Miks in the second round of the NSIC/U.S. Bank Postseason Baseball Tournament on Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs bounced back in a big way, scoring five runs in the second inning and eventually charged to an 8-1 victory over Winona State University in an elimination game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

UMD (34-15) answered back after being shut out in the second round of the tournament, led by a 4-for-5 night at the plate by sophomore outfielder Grant Farley, who drove in two runs and lifted a double on the evening. The Bulldogs began their second-inning rally when Winona State failed to make the first out of the inning, with junior third baseman Kyle Comer reaching on an error. Five-straight batters reached for UMD, followed by an RBI groundout for sophomore Brian Pierce, who had two runs batted in on the day, and an extra single by senior centerfielder John Meyer for good measure. After one-and-a-half innings of play, the Bulldogs had already more than doubled than hitting output from game on on Thursday.

Winona State (22-30) answered in the bottom of the third inning with a run thanks to a pair of doubles, but was mostly held quiet by sophomore left-hander Kevin Stocke, who went seven innings, allowing five hits, just the lone run, and one walk while striking out four. UMD got its run back a half inning later when junior outfielder Josh Denisen walked and stole second, coming around to score on a double by junior first baseman Alex Wojciechowski. Farley and Pierce would tack on two more runs in the seventh

UMD mustered just a pair of hits in the 3-0 shutout against the Huskies, one each by junior second baseman Jimmy Heck and Farley, as Miks went the distance for St. Cloud State (48-3). The Huskies plated a run in the first inning thanks to a Bulldog infield error, putting a runner on second before a pair of singles. They tacked on two more in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a walk, and three straight singles before UMD senior right-handed Wes Mleziva came in to get the final out of the inning.

Junior right-hander Austin Vaske tossed 7.2 innings for the Bulldogs against St. Cloud State, allowing just one earned run on 11 hits and three walks, striking out two while forcing a pair of double plays on nine groundouts.

UP NEXT
UMD will return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon, taking on Northern State University in another elimination game after the Wolves surprisingly sent No. 4 Minnesota State University Mankato home with a 7-6 defeat on the other side of the bracket. The winner of that game will advance to a 7:00 p.m. match-up against the loser of the St. Cloud State/Augustana (S.D.) College semifinal game, which takes place at 12:00 p.m. First pitch between the Bulldogs and NSU is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Ronken Field in Sioux Falls.