The University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team finished off their final games of the year's RussMatt Central Florida Invite, splitting against the Holy Family University Tigers and the Embry Riddle University Eagles on Sunday.

Game One: UMD (25) - HFU (15)

This high scoring game got off to a quick start, with the Tigers striking first with a pair of doubles and a single to tally two runs in the first. The Bulldogs would follow it up with a collection of singles themselves to quickly overtake the lead and bring the score to 3-2 all in the first inning. UMD would keep the scoring going in the second with a two run home run from outfielder Kade Peloquin over the right field wall, but HFU would take their chance to capitalize on a few extra base hits in the top of the third to steal back the lead. The newly exchanged lead would not last long as a solo home run from first baseman Troy Lynch would tie things up at six, and the Bulldogs would tally on another seven runs by the end of the inning highlighted by a grand slam ball out to center field from infielder Jack Puder. 

The two teams would bring the score to 14-9 by the end of the fourth, a score line that would hold for the next inning and a half until the bottom of the sixth when the dual threat of Jack Puder and infielder Ethan Cole would get back to back homers to bring their overall lead to 16-9. A collection of walks and passed balls would allow UMD to tack on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh as the Tigers would take another hack at the lead, collecting another six runs in the top of the eighth. That would be all for the Tigers though as three separate Bulldogs would collect another home run to bring the score to 25-15 and start the day with a win.

Game Two: UMD (2) - ERAU (5)

The pitcher's battle would get broken up in the second after Embry Riddle scored two runs off an early walk that would get filled up by a triple and balk. The battle would continue with both teams recording a combined nine strikeouts and keeping the scoreline at 0-2. In top of the sixth, the Eagles tally on another with a solo home run, but the Bulldogs would respond with an Ethan Cole solo home run of their own to finally get on the board. Embry Riddle would add two more runs over the following two innings before another solo home run, this time from catcher Jack Nemetz, in the eighth to stagger the Eagles' momentum. However, it would be too little too late as the ninth inning would go scoreless by either team and end the Bulldogs' Florida schedule with a hard fought loss.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog baseball will head to South Dakota this weekend to take on the University of Sioux Falls Cougars as they get back into conference play. The first pitch against the Cougars is currently scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 16, at 1:30 PM.