By Noah Grant / Sports Reporter / Marshall, Minn.

-St. Cloud State Baseball fell to Southwest Minnesota State in a wild, 14-12 game on Sunday afternoon. SMSU was able to tie the game in the ninth and win in the 10th, as all three games in the series went to extra innings. 

After winning the first two games on Saturday, the Huskies were able to keep the momentum to start game three, scoring six times in the top of the first inning. St. Cloud brought 10 batters to the plate and recorded seven hits in the frame. Redshirt junior Hayden Frank led off with a single on the first pitch of the ballgame. After one out, freshman Ryan Cahoon and junior Wilmis Castro both singled, with Castro’s base hit scoring Frank. 

The hit parade continued with a double from senior Wyatt Tweet that scored Cahoon, a two-run single from redshirt freshman Max Robinson, a single from redshirt senior Eric Bello, and another RBI single from sophomore Jonathan Pribula that brought home Robinson. Redshirt junior Hayden Konkol rounded out the first inning offense with a sacrifice fly that plated Bello. 

SMSU picked up some first inning offense of their own, scoring three times to cut the deficit in half and make it 6-3 Huskies. Castro would put the lead back to six in the second, however, crushing a three-run homer to left field after back-to-back singles to open the frame. Castro would also get his fifth RBI of the game just one inning later. Frank led off with a single and stole second before Castro drove him in with a base hit to increase the lead to 10-3. 

The Mustangs matched the Huskies’ offensive explosion with a six-run inning of their own in the bottom of the third, making it a 10-9 game after just three innings. Josh Berreth hit a long, three-run homer the opposite way and Nathan Wheeler followed with a two-run blast of his own in the inning. Freshman Brayden Simones would come out of the bullpen to close out the inning and was dominant from there, pitching five innings in relief and allowing just one run. 

Both sides would put up zeros until the Huskies struck for some insurance in the sixth and eighth innings. In the sixth, Cahoon led off with a single and moved to second on a Tweet base hit. With two outs, Bello came through with the runner in scoring position and drove home Cahoon with his second single of the game. In the eighth, Tweet was hit by a pitch and Robinson singled to open the frame. Bello laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and Pribula picked up his second RBI with a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to score Tweet. 

SMSU wasn’t done yet, scoring a lone run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 12-10 Huskies. In the ninth, the Mustangs loaded the bases with no one out. Moreno was able to turn a double play on a grounder to third, stepping on the third base bag and firing home to retire the two lead runners. With two outs, an infield single from Caden King re-loaded the bases and a two-run single from Levi Lampert to center followed, tying the score and forcing extras. 

Castro narrowly missed his second home run of the game leading off the 10th, as his deep fly ball to left field clanged off the fence and worked as a double. The Huskies were unable to bring him home, however, setting the stage for a two-run walk-off home run for Josh Berreth in the bottom of the 10th to win 14-12. It was the second homer of the day for Berreth, and the second walk-off home run of his career.

With the loss, the Huskies drop to 13-14 on the season. St. Cloud will be back in action on Tuesday with their home opener, as they take on Minnesota Duluth in a doubleheader starting at noon from Dick Putz Field. The games will be broadcast on the KVSC Sports Stream with Noah Grant and Brian Moos on the call.

Photo credit: SCSU Athletics