The University of Minnesota Duluth looked to kick off the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Monday afternoon, but were unable to come out on top in either game. UMD trailed much of the opener against Saint Joseph's College and a late rally to pull within one run would wind up short. The second matchup of the day saw the Bulldogs squaring off against Walsh University, with UMD falling 15-5 in seven innings.

Saint Joseph's 7, UMD 6

A trio of Bulldogs picked up a pair of hits in the opener -- juniors Brett Milazzo, Tyler Midas, and Colin Baumgard. Seniors Grant Farley and Brian Pierce each notched a double on the game, with Farley finishing with a 1-for-4 line along with two runs scored.

On the mound, senior southpaw Kevin Stocke hurled 5.2 innings and allowed seven runs while striking out five batters and walking zero. Sophomore Jeremy Thorson and freshman Travis Berg combined to toss a scoreless conclusion to the game, posting 3.1 innings of one-hit baseball.

After being tied at three through the first four innings, Saint Joseph's put up two runs in the fifth and sixth innings to jump in front by a 7-3 margin. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead by adding a run in the eighth inning and headed to ninth facing a three-run deficit. UMD used a single from Milazzo and a pair of walks to load up the bases and bring the winning run to the plate. After Milazzo crossed the plate on a wild pitch, senior catcher Marco Lucarelli drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 7-6 with the tying run on third. It was the Puma pitching staff who came through however, forcing the Bulldogs to fly out to conclude the nailbiter.

Walsh 15, UMD 5

UMD turned its attention towards Walsh University for game two on the Monday doubleheader with junior right-hander Jalen Busker getting the start. Busker would make it through 1.2 innings while allowing two earned runs, but some costly Bulldog errors allowed seven runs to cross the plate in the opening two frames. Freshman Evan Vick came in in a relief role and found success in his 2.1 innings of work -- holding Walsh scoreless while striking out three batters. 

The Bulldogs would cut the lead down to 7-5 with three fourth inning runs, but were unable to push closer as Walsh knocked home eight more runs in the sixth and seventh inning to eventually take a 15-5 victory.

Offensively, freshman outfielder Drew Stewart continued to build on his hot start to the season by going 2-for-3 and scoring a pair of runs. Freshman infielder Chase Thomas picked up two singles of his own and drove in two runs in four at bats. Also picking up two hits was senior third baseman Kyle Hoffman, who finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI.

UMD will return to action tomorrow at 12:30 pm (CST) against Ashland University at Henley Field in Lakeland, Fla.