Baseball: SCSU 4, NMHU 5
MANKATO, Minn. – The nationally ranked St. Cloud State University baseball team let a NCAA Central Region tournament win slip out of their hands in a 5-4 loss to New Mexico Highlands University Friday evening at Franklin Rodgers Park.
The Huskies (46-13) were up 3-1 through six quick innings before the Cowboys (41-14) added a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth inning as they scored five runs on just six hits in the game.
No hit was bigger than the Cowboys’ Erik Scott's, as he came in and delivered a two-out two-RBI pinch hit single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth to put the game winning run across.
Sophomore Kyle Fischer (New Ulm) (8-2) did not allow a hit until there was one down in the fourth as the Cowboys scored a run on a Fischer balk with runners on second and third to make it 3-1.
Fischer gave up just three earned runs on six hits in all eight innings of work. He struck out seven of 36 batters in a 129-pitch outing.
Junior Brian Hansen (Cold Spring) kept swinging a hot bat as he came up in the third with two-down and one on and sent the first pitch over the fence in left field for his ninth home run of the season to take an early 2-0 lead after driving in the game winning run Thursday.
Sophomore Travis Enger (Maple Grove) then sent a 0-2 Cowboy offering over the fence in left center to make it 3-0 on his third round-tripper of the season in the fourth.
The Cowboys tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh after a bases loaded ground ball error by Sean Borman (Minnetonka) allowed two runs to cross the plate before taking the lead.
The Huskies rallied in the ninth with a two-out single from Hansen, who later scored on a Borman single that the right fielder misplayed before the Huskies left their 11th and 12th runner of the game on base to end the game.
St. Cloud State will now play Regis University at 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in an elimination game at Franklin Rogers Field.