By Noah Grant / Sports Reporter / Sioux Falls, S.D.

-In a must-win game on Thursday, the St. Cloud State Huskies came through with a 9-7 win over the University of Mary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  

After losing the first game of the NSIC Tournament on Wednesday, the Huskies backs were against the wall heading into the matchup against the Marauders. St. Cloud State turned to junior Bryce Brassfield to get the start, and the righthander responded with his best start of his Huskies career. Brassfield pitched into the ninth, throwing 129 pitches and striking out six while allowing five runs.  

It marked the first time Brassfield has pitched past the seventh, and it came at a critical time for SCSU. The junior had excellent command of both his fastball and curveball, walking just two batters and generating many soft ground balls and flyouts.  

On offense, the Huskies bounced back after scoring just two runs in Wednesday’s matchup against Sioux Falls. After giving up a run in the top of the second, St. Cloud State responded with four in the bottom of the second to take the lead. Taehyung Kim drove in a pair in the inning with a single to right, extending his hitting streak to six games.  

After the Huskies made the lead 5-1 in the third, Mary would cut the lead to two in the top of the fifth, scoring a pair on a wild sequence that ended with Isaac Pegors getting tagged out at the plate after trying to stretch a single into an error-aided inside-the-park home run. 

SCSU got the runs back in the bottom of the fifth, as Ethan Navratil launched a solo home run to right field as part of a three-run frame for the Huskies.  

A Bryce Leafgren home run for the Marauders would cut the lead back to 8-4, but the Huskies again answered in the eighth as Liam Moreno singled in Wilson Zuck.  

In the ninth, things got interesting as the first three batters reached for the Marauders. Kieran Gaffney singled and Krece Papierski doubled him home, ending the outing for Brassfield.  

Brady Nelson took over in relief and allowed a single and a sac fly to cut the lead to three. After a popout, two straight singles made the score 9-7 and Mary had the tying run on first. Nelson was able to get the final out, though, as Noah Hull flied out to center to end the game.  

Next up for SCSU is another elimination game against Wayne State at 7 p.m. at the Birdcage in Sioux Falls.  

Photo Credit: SCSU Athletics.