Home > Sports > Swinging into action
Swinging into action
BY ARIK FORSMAN
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
iISSUE: 78/28
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
Sophomore Bryan Denisen checks his swing
in a game against Bemidji State.
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
Senior pitcher Kyle Zweber (13) hurls one
toward junior catcher Tyler Bloms.
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
Senior second baseman Corey Goblirsch
slides safely back to first base.
After scoring 10 or more runs only three times in their previous 27 games of the season, the UMD baseball team was in the depths of a six-game losing streak. Last week, the bats woke up. The Bulldogs broke out of an offensive slump by scoring 62 runs in six games, and snapped the losing streak by winning four out of their six games last week. “We did good,” said head coach Bob Rients. “[We] had the opportunity to do a little better, but winning four out of six games is good.”
The action started last Thursday, in a doubleheader against the Bemidji State University (BSU) Beavers in Duluth. The Bulldogs rolled behind the Tony Doherty’s four RBIs in game one, taking
down Bemidji State 11-0. After blowing out the Beavers
during game one, UMD got a win in a more dramatic fashion in game two. The Bulldogs capped their first home doubleheader of the season with a walk-off homerun by sophomore Brian Burman, as UMD beat BSU 7-6 for the doubleheader sweep.
On Friday, the University of North Dakota (UND) Sioux rolled into town. UMD pitcher Kyle Zweber shut down the Sioux in game one of a doubleheader, giving up two runs in seven innings and striking out six, as UMD cruised to an 8-2 victory. In the sixth inning, the Bulldogs took advantage of four UND wild pitches, three walks, an error, a beanball and a balk to score sevens runs, turning a nail-biter into a blowout. “We hit a three-run homer.
The pitcher was rattled and lost his composure, and we took advantage of that,” Rients said. During the second game, UND rebounded to beat the Bulldogs in a slugfest, 14-9. Neither starting pitcher lasted three innings, as the two teams combined for 25 hits and 5 errors. Bulldog shortstop Andrew Heieie continued his hot hitting, as he knocked in three runs.
On Sunday, UMD packed up and headed west to Grand Forks, N.D., as they took on UND in a road-trip rematch. In game one, the Bulldogs exploded for 16 hits, as they beat UND 14-11. David Olson had a monster game, racking up a homerun, three runs, four hits and five RBIs. Centerfielder Doherty also provided a spark by stealing home in the second inning.
In game two, the hot hitting continued for both teams, but it was UND coming out on top, beating the Bulldogs in a 15-13 slugfest. Bryan Denisen, Corey Goblirsch, Dallas Jagiela, Scott Sorensen and Heieie all homered for UMD. The Bulldogs will be in action today at 2 p.m. against Winona State, and will play four games against Mankato State this weekend.
All games will be in Duluth at Bulldog Park. “It’ll be fun. We always want to play our best baseball at the end of the year,” Rients said. “The weather is much better, and it will be an opportunity to make up some ground and finish strong.”
