Wolves Win Series Against Beavers

Bemidji, MN (NSUWolves.com) [Game 1 & 2] – The Northern State University baseball team came out strong on day one of their series against Bemidji State, earning a sweep with wins of 5-3 and 8-6. The Wolves set the tone early in game one, powered by Nick Friedges’ three-run blast in the third inning. In game two, NSU staged a thrilling late-game comeback, capped by a go-ahead grand slam from Dillon Castellanos in the top of the ninth. Despite six errors on the day, the Wolves totaled 13 runs on 16 hits to secure the doubleheader sweep.

THE QUICK DETAILS

Final Score Game 1: NSU 5, BSU 3

Final Score Game 2: NSU 8, BSU 6

Records: NSU 10-26 (NSIC 6-23) BSU 4-32 (NSIC 3-26)

HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 1

Northern State opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Nick Friedges that brought in Brennan Phillips in the top of the first
A wild pitch allowed Dillon Castellanos to score, extending the Wolves’ lead to 2-0 in the first inning
Bemidji State responded with two runs in the bottom of the second to tie the game
In the third inning, Friedges launched a three-run homer over the right-field fence, scoring Castellanos and Michael Benevides to retake the lead
After four scoreless innings, the Beavers added one run in the bottom of the seventh
Braxton Kusler earned the win, pitching 6.0 innings with six strikeouts against 27 batters
Daulton Vanderloo recorded the save, pitching 0.2 innings with one strikeout
NSU tallied five runs on six hits with two errors in game one

NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

Brennan Phillips: 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 double
Dillon Castellanos: 2-for-3, 2 runs, 1 double, 3 stolen bases
Nick Friedges: 1-for-2, 4 RBIs, 1 run, 1 homerun, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Braxton Kusler: 6.0 IP, Win, 6 strikeouts
Daulton Vanderloo: 0.2 IP, save, 1 strikeout

HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 2

Bemidji State struck first with one run in the first inning
After a scoreless second, the Beavers extended their lead with a two-run homer in the third
BSU added three more runs in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead
Northern State began its comeback in the seventh with a solo home run by Nick Friedges
In the eighth, Dillon Castellanos hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring AJ Mendez to make it 6-2
In the ninth inning, Jack Weidner scored on an RBI single by Mendez
Brennan Phillips followed with a single to center that scored Dylan Soulek, cutting the lead to 6-4
Castellanos then crushed a grand slam, bringing in Phillips, Kyle Konechne, and Nicholas Ochoa to take the lead
Christian Mundt recorded the win in 0.1 innings pitched, while Daulton Vanderloo earned the save with 1.0 inning and one strikeout
NSU scored eight runs on ten hits with four errors in game two

NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

AJ Mendez: 3-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
Jack Weidner: 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 double
Dillon Castellanos: 1-for-4, 5 RBIs, 1 run, 1 homerun
Nick Friedges: 1-for-4, 1 homerun
Chirstian Mundt: 0.1 IP, Win
Daulton Vanderloo: 1.0 IP, Save, 1 strikeout

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Bemidji, MN (NSUWolves.com [Game 3] – The Northern State University baseball team came up short in the series finale, falling 10-2 to Bemidji State. The Beavers jumped out to an early lead and took advantage of timely hitting to keep the Wolves at bay. NSU managed two runs on three hits and committed one error in the contest. Despite the setback, Northern State secured the series win with two victories in the three-game matchup.

THE QUICK DETAILS

Final Score: NSU 2, BSU 10

Records: NSU 10-27 (NSIC 6-24) BSU 5-32 (NSIC 4-26)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After two scoreless innings, Bemidji State struck first with three runs in the third
The Beavers extended their lead with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, going up 7-0
In the top of the eighth, Jack Weidner reached on an error, allowing Dylan Soulek to score and put Northern State on the board
Dillon Castellanos hit a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing in Nick Friedges and cutting the deficit to five
BSU responded with three runs in the bottom of the eighth off a home run to extend their lead to eight
Lance Behrens took the loss, pitching 3.0 innings and recording three strikeouts
NSU scored two runs on three hits with one error.

NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

Brennan Phillips: 1-for-4
Nicholas Ochoa: 1-for-3, 1 walk
Jordan Hull: 1-for-3
Lance Behrens: 3.0 IP, 3 strikeouts
Carson Zimmel: 3.1 IP, 3 strikeouts

UP NEXT

Northern State returns to action for a mid-week doubleheader against Minot State. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., with game two to follow at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, in Minot, N.D., against the Beavers.