The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Sports

April 16, 2008

MSU sweeps baseball doubleheader

By Shane Frederick

MANKATO — After playing 10 games in 11 days and some important North Central Conference games on the horizon, the Minnesota State baseball team was a little concerned about its pitching depth going into Wednesday’s nonconference doubleheader against Upper Iowa.

After sweeping the Peacocks 10-7 and 2-1 in nine innings, the Mavericks just might have discovered that their bullpen isn’t so bare.

“Some guys got a chance to step up and see if they could do the job,” pitching coach Matt Magers said.

Head coach Dean Bowyer called it “on-the-job training” for the Mavericks’ young arms.

Freshman left-hander Danny Miller pitched five solid innings for the win in Game 1. He allowed four runs on six hits while walking five and striking out four. In Game 2, junior Matt Franke, a junior-college transfer who was making his first career start, allowed one run on five hits over seven innings before leaving with a 1-1 tie. He struck out three and walked three.

Nathan Kafka, who got the save in the first game, pitched the eighth and ninth for the win in the second.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, leadoff hitter Kyle Hoover hit the first pitch from Brad Mey and over the fence in left field where the wind was blowing out to win it.

“Hoover hits so many fly balls, and he had the wind blowing out,” Bowyer said. “When he gets his pitch, every swing has a chance to be a home run.”

Upper Iowa led 1-0 on Brett Cleveringa’s homer to left in the fourth inning. The Mavericks tied it in the fifth when Kosuke Hattori scored on an error after a hit-and-run play with Patrick Dockendorf.

In the first game, the Mavericks trailed 4-1 before scoring six runs in the bottom of the third inning. Ten batters went to the plate, and the rally was highlighted by a two-run double by Aaron Berner and an RBI triple by Miller. Berner added a solo home run, his second of the year, in the fifth inning.

The Mavericks (18-15) will travel to St. Cloud State for an NCC doubleheader on Friday and will host the Huskies for two games on Sunday.

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