Today the University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team traveled to Bemidji to take on the Bemidji State Beavers in the first two games of their three game road weekend series. The Bulldogs would take game one by a score of 10-3, and 10-9 in game two. With the two wins, UMD now sit at 17-22 (14-19) in the NSIC.
 
It was the Beavers who would jump out to a quick 2-0 lead capitalizing in the first inning.  Tosten Mann would cut into the Beaver lead in the second as his fielder's choice knocked in Anders Brown. Bemidji State would answer with one of their own in the bottom half of the second making it 3-1 Beavers, however, that would be all the offensive output they would muster in game one. The Bulldogs would then score nine unanswered runs to take a stranglehold on this one. UMD would muster three runs in the fourth, one in the sixth, and five in the seventh to bring us to the final score of 10-3. Among the Notable hits for the Bulldogs was two Trevor Gustafson doubles, a Henry George triple, and a McCale Peterson single. Ben Shepard started on the bump for the Bulldogs, after giving up three runs early Shepard settled in and went six complete innings for UMD while only surrendering one walk and striking out five Beaver batters. Shepard is credited with his third win of the season for his efforts in game one. Paul Petit came in for the Bulldogs to wrap this one up in the seventh, he pitched one full inning giving up one hit and striking out one.
 
UMD Notables:
George: 3-5, 3B, 3RBI
A. Brown: 1-4, 2R, SB
M. Peterson: 2-3, 2R, RBI, BB
S. Tanner: 1-2, R, BB
Gustafson: 3-3, R, 4RBI, BB, (2) 2B
 
In game two, the Bulldogs again let the Beavers put them behind the eight ball, this time to the tune of 4-0 as the Beavers grabbed an early lead. Just like in game one, the Bulldogs would have an answer. UMD would score four runs between the third and fourth inning to bring the game even 4-4. Tim Pokornowski, Sam Tanner and Tosten Mann all recorded RBI's during those two innings. The Bulldogs would take the lead courtesy of Brodie Paulson and Sam Tanner's RBI securing a 6-4 lead. True to form in this wild game two Bemidji State would get one back in the fifth and add another in the sixth to knot the ballgame at six. Anders Brown would get an RBI single in the eighth and later come around to score on an error to take yet another two-run lead 8-6. Like a broken record, the Beavers would score three runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth and again overtake the Bulldogs 9-8. Down to their last out in the top of the ninth inning, Trevor Gustafson would start the comeback. Gustafson doubled and was replaced by Austin Gordon via pinch runner. Henry George then proceeded to double in Austin Gordon, tying the game at nine. Brandt Kolpack continued the clutch hitting as he laced a single down the left field line, which scored the speedy George from second base giving UMD its final lead of the game 10-9. Liam Blaschko who entered the game in the eighth inning would set the Beavers down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9^th to sweep the day for the Bulldogs. Blaschko is credited with his fifth win of the season for the Bulldogs.
 
UMD Notables:
George: 3-5, 3R, RBI, BB, (3) 2B
Kolpack: 3-5, RBI
A. Brown: 2-5, 2R, RBI, SB
Paulson: 2-4, 2R, RBI, 2B
S. Tanner: 4-5, R, 2RBI, 2B, 3B
Mann: 2-4, RBI, SB
Blaschko: 1.2 IP, 0H, 0BB, K, W (5-1)
 
On deck for the Bulldogs is the final game of this three game set with the Beavers. The Bulldogs and the Beavers will do it all over again tomorrow starting at 1:30 PM from Bemidji.