By: Joe Hansen

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year Alex Wojciechowski went 4-for-4 with a home run and younger brother Tyler Wojciechowski was 2-for-3 with a two-run double as the University of Minnesota Duluth slugged past the University of Sioux Falls 10-1 in the first round of the NSIC Postseason Tournament on Thursday morning in Sioux Falls.

No. 20 UMD (37-12) got seven shutout innings from senior left-hander Bo Hellquist to advance to the second round to take on Concordia University, St. Paul, which up-ended Minnesota State University 8-4 on the other side of the bracket. Hellquist (7-2) scattered four hits and three walks while striking out 11 Cougars on his afternoon. Sioux Falls (21-29-1) struck for a run against the Bulldog bullpen with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the ninth.

The slugging senior first baseman got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, slugging his 32nd home run of the season -- a three-run big fly-- off Cougars starter Patrick Anderson. After a double by senior third baseman Kyle Comer, T. Wojciechowski drove in his first run of the afternoon with a single that put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Hellquist had multiple strikeouts in each of the first three innings, got a groundball double play in the fourth, and struck out the side in the fifth.

Junior outfielder Grant Farley, on Tuesday named an All-NSIC First Team selection, slugged his 13th home run of the season, a solo shot, in the bottom of the fourth, and later that inning, UMD's freshman designated hitter T. Wojciechowski singled home his brother to tack on to the lead. Anderson (2-5) worked the first five innings for USF, allowing six runs, all earned, on nine hits while striking out two. After the Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom of sixth, they were held to just a run on a sacrifce fly by senior outfielder Spencer Diedrich, scoring Comer, who crossed the plate three times on the day. Diedrich added a second sacrifice fly in the eighth, while Comer knocked in a run on a double and junior catcher Marco Lucarelli singled home senior second baseman Jimmy Heck with a single in the same inning.

Sophomore pitchers Nick Dorfman and Jalen Busker tossed the final two frames for the Bulldogs, each picking up a pair of strikeouts in 1.0 innings, to bring the staff total to 15 on the afternoon. Comer finished his afternoon 3-for-3 with two doubles and a walk Sophomore outfielder Brett Milazzo was 2-for-5, and each member of the UMD starting nine reached base at least once on the afternoon.

ON DECK
The Bulldogs will continue tournament play in St. Cloud on Friday morning. UMD and Concordia-St. Paul will take the diamond at Joe Faber Field with first pitch scheduled for 10:00 a.m. A victory in Friday's game advances the Bulldogs to the semifinals at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, while a defeat means a quick turnaround at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon on the other side of the bracket.