DULUTH, Minn. – The Minot State Beavers baseball team closed the weekend strong, rallying for three runs and a comeback win in the nightcap of their doubleheader against Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, splitting Saturday’s action.

Platting three runs in the top of the seventh inning, the Beavers (15-24 overall, 9-21 NSIC) closed with a 6-5 win over the Bulldogs in a non-conference contest. Minnesota Duluth won the opener, an NSIC-counting game, 13-3 in 7 innings.

GAME 1: Minnesota Duluth 13, Minot State 3, 7 innings

Junior Jake Orthner notched two extra-base hits, but Minot State fell to Minnesota Duluth 13-3 on Saturday in an NSIC counting contest.

Senior Hayden Bode (0-3) started and took the loss on the mound for Minot State. Sophomore Alex Engel was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going one shutout inning while allowing one hit.

Orthner’s two extra-base hits were the highlight of a 2-for-4 day, and included two doubles and an RBI. Junior Oscar Pegg furnished a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Junior Michael Williamson also chipped in for the Beavers, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Trailing 13-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the fifth inning. Minot State got an RBI single from Pegg, scoring Williamson from second base.

The Beavers kept the deficit at 13-1 before closing the gap further in the sixth. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of sophomore Noah Gutierrez, which brought the score to 13-2 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Minot State kept the Bulldogs off the board before narrowing the gap to 13-3 in the seventh. The Beavers scored a run on Orthner’s two-out RBI double.

GAME 2: Minot State 6, Minnesota-Duluth 5

Minot State rallied from down 5-3 in the sixth inning to win in breathtaking fashion, tallying three runs in the seventh to earn a 6-5 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Saturday in an non-conference contest to close out a doubleheader.

Junior Devin Marton (3-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went one shutout inning, giving up one hit, one walk and striking out one. Sophomore Jack Jahnke also pitched well, going one shutout inning while allowing one hit, walking none and striking out one.

In the batter’s box, the Beavers were paced by freshman Wyatt Toth, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a home run and three RBI. Sophomore Noah Gutierrez furnished a noteworthy performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Junior Jake Orthner also chipped in for Minot State, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Beavers got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Junior Noah Madas came across to score the lone run of the inning on an Orthner sacrifice fly for Minot State and get them on the board.

The Bulldogs then rallied to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead before the Beavers got back on the board in the fourth. Minot State scored twice on Toth’s two-run homer, which evened the score at 3-3.

Minnesota Duluth broke that tie and took a 5-3 lead moving into the seventh, when Minot State grabbed the advantage at 6-5. Noah Gutierrez had an RBI fielder’s choice to start the rally, then Miles Iverson’s RBI single tied it. Toth’s third RBI of the game, an RBI single to left, scored Gutierrez with the eventual game-winning run. The score remained 6-5 for the rest of the game, as Minot State held on for the win.