Bemidji, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team swept its road series against Bemidji State on Tuesday, defeating the Beavers in walk-off fashion 6-5 in game one before dominating game two en route to an 11-1 win. The wins snapped a seven-game losing skid for the Bulldogs and push their record to 14-20 on the year.

A day ultimately defined by power hitting started with a pair of singles, one a pop from Thomas Hanson and Ethan Cole to score Samuel Tanner and Michael Gabbard to make it 2-0 in the top of the second. After two 1-2-3 efforts in the first two frames, Zach Kuseske would continue to hold BSU scoreless through the first four innings, limiting the Beavers to just one hit in the process. Speaking of that power hitting, though … BSU would finally counter in that fifth frame with a three-run shot from Nick Ekstrum to put the Beavers ahead 3-2. It's tough to follow a homer… except maybe with a homer of your own. That's exactly what Cole helped UMD achieve with a moonshot out to left in the bottom of the fifth that knotted things back up at 3-3.

The Bulldogs then spent the sixth inning in a similar fashion to how they'd handled the second- by slowly accumulating an advantage. Another Hanson single would bring home Austin Gordon to allow UMD to re-take the lead at 4-3, and a Tosten Mann flyout paired with an error helped send Gabbard back in to score to make that 5-3. But in the top of the seventh, a single swing of the bat from the Beavers would eliminate that progress. Zach Listiak connected on a double that'd score two BSU runs to send the Bulldogs up to bat in the bottom of the seventh with a tied 5-5 score. 

There you have it, evidence that just one play can totally shift the tide of a game. Need more proof? Check this out. With two outs already on the board for UMD in the seventh frame, Alex Wattermann stepped up to the plate. The first two pitches saw the senior fall down 0-2, down to just his final strike. His next swing… right on the money. A monumental shot from Wattermann out to left field scaled the fence, scoring both himself and Gordon for good measure to land UMD with a walk-off 7-5 victory. 

A sea of names put up impressive offensive efforts for the Bulldogs in this back-and-forth fight. Wattermann, the hero, went 3-4 from the dish, adding two RBIs and a run. Both Gabbard and Hanson closed at 2-3 from the plate, Gabbard pairing that total with two runs, Hanson with two RBIs. Cole went 2-4 while accumulating two RBIs and a run of his own.

Kuseske was a big presence for the Bulldogs at the mound in game one, going 5.1 innings while allowing just five hits and three runs. Wattermann (yes, the very same Wattermann) threw 1.2 innings in relief, allowing three hits and two runs.

Game one sure was something, but stay strapped in- game two proved to be an entirely different kind of beast. 

First, humble beginnings. Gabe Richardson would open the scoring for UMD in the bottom of the second with a flyout that sent Jack Puder home. Remember that "Puder" name, if you don't mind. You'll need it for later. But not before Jack Munson evened things up for BSU in this one with a solo blast that eventually sent the game into the fourth inning knotted at 1-1. Okay, now: in the bottom of the fourth, Puder would connect on a two-run homer to left center to give UMD the lead right back at 3-1. Oh, but he was far from done. After Tim Pokornowski and company continued to hold BSU to just a single run on the defensive end of things moving into the bottom of the sixth, Puder continued his work offensively. The sophomore's second dinger of the contest gave UMD a bit more of a cushion, pushing the score to 4-1.

It was the start of what proved to be a score-heavy inning for the Bulldogs. A Gabbard single scored Richardson to make it 5-1. Tanner headed home after a wild pitch to make it 6-1. Finally, a Cole single that brought Gabbard in to score would prove to be the end of the bleeding for BSU, UMD walking into the seventh with a 7-1 advantage. 

Heading into Tuesday, Puder had two home runs to his name this season. He'd already matched that mark in game two against BSU alone. That's pretty impressive, but the thing is… he got to bat again. 

A 3-3 effort from the dish in the game quickly evolved into 4-4. Hit type? Come on, you already know. Puder's unheard of third homer in this contest alone was another two-run shot, this one sending Pokornowski home with him to make it 9-1 UMD. But just because a new legend was being born in game two doesn't mean that legends of old couldn't continue to add to their stories. With UMD needing just two more runs to trigger to 10-run rule and effectively score a walk-off victory, who else but Mr. Walk-Off himself stepped up to bat in Wattermann. If you can believe it, he delivered once again- a double from the senior scored Tanner and Richardson to land UMD an 11-1 win in just seven innings.

The Bulldog of the hour in this one was obviously Puder, who went 4-4 while racking up four runs and five RBIs. But UMD's defense was big, too, and that effort started at the mound with Pokornowski. The fifth-year pitcher went six innings, allowing just seven hits and a run in the process.