By Noah Grant / Sports Reporter / St. Cloud, Minn.

-St. Cloud State Baseball picked up a split in their doubleheader against Minnesota Crookston on Wednesday. The Huskies won game one 3-2 behind a dominant pitching performance from senior Bryce Brassfieldbefore dropping game two 5-2. 

Game 1: SCSU 3, UMC 2 

In a game one pitcher’s duel, both teams traded zeros with neither side able to record a hit through the first three innings. Brassfield allowed just one base runner, striking out five batters while the Huskies managed only two runners on a walk and an error. 

In the fourth, freshman Ryan Cahoon led off with a line drive triple to center field. Junior Wilmis Castro followed with a slow roller up the third base line that allowed Cahoon to score, diving in ahead of the throw to the plate. The Huskies would put runners on second and third with two outs in the inning but were unable to push across any more runs. 

Crookston would quickly answer back in the bottom of the fourth. The inning started with three straight strikeouts for Brassfield, but one was coupled with a wild pitch allowing the runner to reach. With a runner on second and two outs, Jackson Fliflet hit an RBI double before back-to-back singles from Connor Bushbaum and Cole Hebl to give UMC the 2-1 lead. 

In the sixth, the Huskies would climb back in front. With one out, Castro singled, redshirt senior Eric Bello reached on an error, and senior Wyatt Tweet walked to load the bases. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, senior Nick Ibrahim sent a double down the left field line to score Castro and Bello to make it 3-2 Huskies. 

That would be all Brassfield needed as the righthander closed out the final two frames, including closing out the seventh with the tying run on third base. It was the third complete game in Brassfield’s Huskies career and his second this year. The senior also struck out 11, a new career high. 

Game 2: UMC 5, SCSU 2 

Crookston would take an early lead in game two, after a strikeout and wild pitch allowed the leadoff runner to reach in the bottom of the first inning. A stolen base, error, and sacrifice fly from Jackson Fliflet would allow the run to score and give UMC the 1-0 lead. 

The Huskies would answer back immediately, as Wyatt Tweet led off the top of the second with a single. Eric Bello followed with a single and went to second when the ball was misplayed in left field, putting runners on second and third. That brought up redshirt freshman Max Robinson who lifted a fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly to score Tweet. 

The Golden Eagles took the lead again in the bottom of the second on a two-out RBI double. This lead would hold up until the fourth, when Wilmis Castro launched a solo home run inside the left field foul pole to make the score 2-2. It was the seventh homer of the year for Castro, giving him the team lead.

UMC scored two more in the bottom of the fourth, making it 4-2 Golden Eagles, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Cole Hebl picked up an RBI double in the frame, along with an error by SCSU that brought home the fourth run. 

The Huskies managed only two hits across the final five innings, and UMC added an insurance run in the eighth on a hit-by-pitch and another RBI double to center field from Cole Hebl to close out the 5-2 win. 

UP NEXT 

The Huskies continue a busy stretch this week as they are slated to host Winona State in a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Friday.  You can hear all those games live on the KVSC Sports Stream.

Photo credit: SCSU Athletics.