The University of Minnesota Duluth claimed its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship since 2003, finishing the 2016 season as the league's top seed after taking 3-of-4 from the University of Mary in its final conference series at Bulldog Park. The Bulldogs closed out an 11-7 victory in the resumption of the teams' Friday night contest, won game three of the series by an 8-3 margin, and fell in the regular season finale, 5-3.

No. 16 UMD (36-12, 29-7 NSIC) matched the program record for victories by knocking off U-Mary (9-40, 7-28 NSIC) in the first three games of the series and saw a seventh-inning rally fall just short with the tying run at the plate as Marauders starter Jake Johnson (3-3) tossed 158 pitches in a complete game victory. He struck out 13 Bulldogs on his day. UMD used seven pitchers in the finale, with sophomore left-hander Tommy Hanson (4-1) suffering the hard-luck loss with three Bulldog errors costing the team knocking the southpaw out during the three-run third inning. Center fielder Brett Milazzo went 3-for-4 and scored a run as UMD closed out the regular season.

UMD 11, U-Mary 7 *completion of Friday's game two suspended due to darkness
Earlier in the day, the Bulldogs got a four-inning save (2) from senior left-hander Spencer Diedrich in his return to the mound. He tossed the final four frames of the resumed game, which UMD led 10-6 after five completed innings on Friday night the game's recess due to darkness. He struck out three, closing out a bullpen victory for junior right-hander Colton Sinning (1-1). After the Bulldogs scored each of their first 10 runs via the home run, junior shortstop Kyle Hoffman singled home Diedrich in the seventh inning to add to the lead. U-Mary got an RBI groundout in the ninth but got no closer in an 11-7 Bulldog win. Nicholas Stobbe (1-6) took the defeat on the mound for the Marauders, throwing the five innings on Friday night while Charles Bielejeski threw the final three innings on Saturday morning, allowing one run on three hits.

UMD 8, U-Mary 3
After a brief break following the conclusion of that game, UMD continued where it left off starting the day's official doubleheader with a three-run first inning. Senior first baseman Alex Wojciechowski doubled home Milazzo, before senior third baseman Kyle Comer and senior second baseman Jimmy Heck brought home a run each on a groundout and sacrifice fly, respectively. Junior catcher Marco Lucarelli tacked on a run with his second home run of the season in the second inning. Junior lefty Kevin Stocke (4-1) tossed 6.0 innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while striking out seven.

Junior outfielder Grant Farley added a home run of his own (12) as part of a four-run fourth inning that saw the Bulldogs extend their lead out for Stocke. Freshman righty Jeremy Thorson worked the seventh for UMD, surrendering a pinch hit home run to U-Mary's Will Pettener before retiring the side. Brad Meyer (2-6) threw the first four innings of the game for the Marauders, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits while striking out four.

In a moment of levity to conclude the game, senior right-handed pitcher Matt Mattiacci made a pinch hit appearance in the seventh inning, watching strike three in the first official at-bat of his Bulldog career. Closing out the record-setting regular season matching the program record for wins, UMD has also already set new Bulldogs highs for hits (588, previously 581), home runs (94, previously 55), runs batted in (418, previously 381), runs scored (2016: 447, previously 425), and consecutive wins (18, previously 15). The program records for stolen bases (2016: 67, Record: 72), doubles (2016: 103, record: 106), and saves (2016: 10, record: 12) are all also very attainable should UMD play deep into the postseason.

ON DECK
As the top seed in the NSIC Postseason Tournament, the Bulldogs will open postseason play on Wednesday, May 11 at 11:00 a.m. against the eighth seed at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. The official tournament bracket will be released this weekend at the following link.