K-HEART SPORTS – 04/16/23 – 0700
AUSTIN, MN (MINOTAUROS) – The Minotauros came into the weekend in control of their playoff destiny and got the job done early clinching the ninth playoff bid in franchise history with a dominant win on Friday night. Despite seeding still being up I the air the Tauros coaching staff elected to rest several key players on Saturday night but still hung tough with the Bruins before ultimately falling 2-0. The weekend split paired with results from the rest of the Central Division sets up a 1-4 matchup between the Tauros and Bruins.
Friday the Tauros jumped out to a 4-0 first period lead with two Joe Westlund goals along with markers from John Emmons and Chase LaPinta. From there it was the Hunter Longhi show as he matched Austin’s offense in the second and third periods posting a hat trick as the Tauros cruised to a 7-3 victory.
Saturday the Tauros sat 286 points in the stands in playing four Affiliate Players. The group battled hard through a scoreless first before falling behind 1-0 in the second. A goal midway through the third made it a 2-0 game and with most of the offense in street clothes the Tauros could not battle back.
The loss coupled with Aberdeen’s sweep of St. Cloud dropped the Tauros to the four seed, and a best-of-five series with the same Austin Bruins the Tauros just played the last two weeks. Game One and Two will be in Austin next Friday and Saturday nights. Then the series shifts to Minot on Friday, April 28th, for Game Three. If necessary Game Four will be in Minot on Saturday, April 29th; and Game Five would then be Monday, May 1st, in Austin.
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MINOT, ND – Saturday scoreboard:
High School Baseball
Class A
Williston def. Watford City, 13-3
Williston def. Watford City, 11-5
Williston def. Watford City, 13-3
Williston def. Watford City, 11-5
High School Girls Softball
Class A
Beulah def Williston, 10-1
Beulah def. Williston, 10-8
West Fargo def. Bismarck High, 17-6
West Fargo def. Bismarck High, 17-1
West Fargo def. Bismarck High, 17-1
West Fargo Sheyenne def. Bismarck Legacy, 19-9
West Fargo Sheyenne def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-3
West Fargo Sheyenne def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-3
Class B
Battle at the Bubble
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Hazen, 20-3
Battle at the Bubble
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Hazen, 20-3
High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Grand Forks Red River, 7-0
Minot High def. Grand Forks Central, 6-0
High School Boys Track & Field
Dickinson Invite – Biesiot Activities Center in Dickinson
1. Bismarck Legacy, 383
2. Bismarck High, 332
3. West Fargo Sheyenne, 211
4. Minot High, 166
5. Dickinson, 98
6. Fargo Shanley, 70
7. Watford City, 42
8. Shiloh Christian, 34
9. Jamestown, 30
10. Bismarck Century, 28
High School Girls Track & Field
Dickinson Invite – Biesiot Activities Center in Dickinson
1. Minot High, 220
2. Bismarck High, 217
3. Bismarck Legacy, 207
4. Jamestown, 147
5. Dickinson, 138
6. West Fargo Sheyenne, 129
7. Fargo Shanley, 112
8. Shiloh Christian, 84
9. Williston, 82
10. Watford City, 42
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MINOT STATE BASEBALL
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – The Beavers enjoyed a memorable home debut. After 30 games away from Corbett Field to start the season, Minot State’s baseball team final played its home opener on Saturday, hosting Northern State in an NSIC doubleheader that the Beavers swept, 5-4 and 18-8 in seven innings. Along the way, the Beavers (21-11 overall, 12-8 NSIC) hit seven home runs on the day, giving them 63 on the season which is a new single-season program record. The long-ball bashing Beavers are back in action today hosting a single game at noon against Northern State to wrap up their weekend series.
GAME 1 | Minot State 5, Northern State 4
It was a tough day for Northern State pitchers as the Minot State Beavers plated five runs en route to a 5-4 win over the Wolves on Saturday. Sophomore Jonah Prokott (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went two innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on three hits, allowing no walks and striking out one. Junior Javier Gutierrez led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run and an RBI. Junior Gunnar Kozlowitz furnished a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Junior Martin Rodriquez also contributed, going 1-for-2 for Minot State with an RBI.
The Beavers put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Minot State plated two runs when Gutierrez left the yard with Kozlowitz aboard. The Beavers then held the Wolves scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Kozlowitz, which brought the score to 3-0 in favor of the Beavers. Minot State’s lead had evaporated once the sixth inning arrived and turned into a 4-3 Northern State advantage, when the Beavers re-took control at 5-4. Rodriquez’s run-scoring single highlighted a two-run output in the frame for the Beavers. The score remained 5-4 for the rest of the game, as Minot State held on for the win.
GAME 2 | Minot State 18, Northern State 8, 7 innings
Senior Derek Kay put together a stellar showing at the plate Saturday, hitting two homers to help propel the Minot State Beavers over the Northern State Wolves 18-8 in seven innings. Senior Garrett Nicholson (3-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Minot State. The southpaw went three innings, giving up one run without giving up a hit, allowing three walks and striking out one. Kay went 3-for-5 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with a triple while driving in six runs. Sophomore Dalin Ludlow added to Kay’s awesome power-hitting performance by going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Junior Martin Rodriquez also helped out for the Beavers, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three RBI.
The Beavers were trailing 4-0 in the first inning when they first put runs on the board. Kay came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board. The Wolves expanded their lead to 7-1 before the Beavers offense got back to work, taking the lead in the fourth. Minot State hit four home runs in the inning on the way to pushing seven runs across, which brought the score to 8-7 in favor of the Beavers. Matt Malone’s solo home run, the back half of back-to-back home runs, gave Minot State 61 home runs on the season, a new single-season school record. Minot State held Northern State without a run before building their lead to 11-7 the following inning. The Beavers scored three runs, all of them coming on a three-run homer from Ludlow that scored Rodriquez and junior Shane Kary. The Wolves gained ground, closing the gap to 11-8 until Minot State added some insurance in the seventh. The Beavers scored seven runs in the inning, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Kay, bringing the Minot State advantage to 18-8 and ending the game by the 10-run mercy rule.
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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD
AZUSA, Calif. (MSU) – The Minot State track and field teams wrapped up their weekend in California with personal-best performances by several runners at the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific, and the Beach Invitational hosted by Long Beach State.
On the women’s side, Sidra Sadowsky and Nicole Reeves each turned in PRs in the 1,500 meters with Sadowsky racing to the third-fastest time in the event in the Beavers’ NCAA Division II-era of 4 minutes, 48.77 seconds. Close behind her was Reeves who clocked a time of 4:53.37, fifth-fastest in Minot State’s D-II era.
Joining them with a personal best at the Azusa Pacific meet was Nicolas Merillana in one of the early men’s 1,500 heats as he finished in 4:01.77, a top-five time for the Beaver men in their D-II era. Also scheduled to compete in a later flight of the men’s 1,500 is teammate Jacob Jensen. His race was scheduled to start at 12:40 am (CT). While they led the way at the Bryan Clay Invitation, 40 miles away at Long Beach State’s meet, Charles Hardcastle finished 24th overall with a personal-best time of 4:05.05 in the men’s 1,500, while teammate Camden Jasmin was 27th in the 1,500, also running a PR of 4:06.27.
After a busy weekend with Minot State track and field student-athletes competing at meets in both California and Iowa, the Beavers now reunite and head to South Dakota next Friday and Saturday for the South Dakota Challenge.
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MINOT STATE GOLF
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (MSU) – Holly Knudsen made a determined charge, climbing into a tie for third with the second-best round of the day, leading the way for the Minot State women’s golf team which moved into a tie for fourth at the Augustana Spring Invitational. Knudsen shot a 5-over 76 on Saturday in the final round at the Bakker Crossing Golf Course, second only on the day to tournament champion Lauren Tims of Augustana who carded a 4-over 75 and won the tournament by three shots at 10-over 152. Knudsen finished five shots back of her at 15-over 157 (81-76) as she turned in her first Top-5 finish with her career-low 76. While Knudsen and the Beaver women made a final-day charge, the Minot State men held strong in third place with Joshua Tu and Andrew Makarchuk each turning in Top-10 finishes. For the women, Taylor Cormier turned in the second-best finish for the Beavers in the tournament as she was 15th at 26-over 168 (80-88), while Jaci Jones tied for 33rd at 40-over 182 (92-90), and Zoe Banack was 35th at 42-over 184 (90-94). The Minot State women moved up two spots to finish tied for fourth with the University of Mary at 123-over 691 (343-348). Augustana won the team title with a 52-over 620.
On the men’s side, Tu led Minot State as he tied for sixth at 12-over 154 (76-78) while Makarchuk was 10th at 15-over 157 (73-84). Zach Hendrickson was next for the Beavers in 13th at 17-over 159 (80-79), and Aimery Barrault tied for 20th at 23-over 165 (82-83). Casey Fjeld, playing as an individual, was 25th at 35-over 177 (87-90), Sid Ullyott, playing as an individual, was 26th at 39-over 181 (82-99), Henry Langhans was 27th at 40-over 182 (86-96), and Travis Smith, playing as an individual, was 28th at 55-over 197 (96-101). The Minot State men finished third with a two-day total of 67-over 635 (311-324). Sioux Falls won the men’s team title with a 33-over 601 (297-304), while Ryan Neff of South Dakota, which did not field a full team, won the individual title by two shots at 1-over 143.
The tournament was the final event on the Beavers current regular-season schedule before the NSIC Championships later this month. The Minot State men next play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 21-23, at the NSIC Championships in Missouri. The Beaver women will play at the NSIC Championship in Missouri, April 28-30.
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UND HOCKEY-TRANSFER
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – University of North Dakota head hockey coach Brad Berry announced on Saturday that defenseman Keaton Pehrson will play his final year of eligibility at North Dakota in the 2023-24 season. Pehrson spent the last four seasons at Michigan, appearing in 127 games and helping the Wolverines advance to three straight NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back Frozen Fours. In those four years, the Lakeville, Minn., native scored one goal and added 26 assists for 27 points, including a career-high 11 helpers during the 2022-23 campaign. The blueliner also was a consistent presence in the Wolverine lineup, amassing nearly 16 minutes of ice time per game while finishing third on the team with 39 blocked shots. Pehrson was also not whistled for a penalty the entire season and carried a plus-12 rating. Pehrson is the fourth player to announce his transfer to North Dakota, joining fellow defenseman Garrett Pyke, forward Cameron Berg and goaltender Ludvig Persson.
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TWINS-YANKEES
NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo Germán retired his first 16 batters, staying in the game after an extensive sticky substance check by umpires, leading the New York Yankees over the Twins 6-1. Germán had rosin on his hand, was asked by crew chief James Hoye to wash it and allowed some to remain on a pinkie finger. Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Rizzo homered and Giancarlo Stanton had a two-run double for New York, which stopped the Twins’ four-game winning streak. Germán struck out a career-high 11 and didn’t allow a hit until his 66th pitch when Christian Vázquez singled. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected for arguing with the umpires after Germán was checked by crew chief James Hoye and allowed to remain in the game. Tyler Mahle (1-2) allowed four runs — two earned — four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.
UP NEXT
RHP Gerrit Cole (3-0) starts Sunday’s series finale for the Yankees and RHP Pablo López (1-0) for the Twins, who have not won a four-game series in the Bronx since 1969.
RHP Gerrit Cole (3-0) starts Sunday’s series finale for the Yankees and RHP Pablo López (1-0) for the Twins, who have not won a four-game series in the Bronx since 1969.