MINOT -- Dickinson State and Minot State went to extra innings twice Tuesday in a pair of nonconference games between the Dakota Athletic Conference rivals at Corbett Field.
"It was flat out two great baseball games," DSU head coach Duane Monlux said.
The Blue Hawks won Game 1 8-6 after Tury Escobedo hit a two-run single to center field in the top of the eight inning.
Minot State went on to win Game 2 when DSU relief pitcher Andrew Grafton balked with the game tied and the bases loaded to score Mike O'Dwyer for the winning run and gave the Beavers a 6-5 win.
"You just don't see that happen, very often but that's how it happened," Monlux said. "He just kind of flinched on the mound."
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Nolan Bracken, Kevin Park and Willie Sandez all had homers in DSU's Game 1 victory. Bracken and Park each had two-run shots while Sandez belted his seventh solo homer in the last five games in the fifth inning.
Bracken homered again in the Game 2 loss.
Jordan Gilmour was 4-for-9 in the doubleheader for the Beavers (19-26).
DSU (27-15) hits the road to play Dakota State on Saturday and Sunday in its final series of the regular season.
Monlux said he hopes Tuesday's games can be a springboard for DSU heading into the weekend's crucial games that will determine the conference's regular-season champion.
"We definitely have to be playing our best ball going into the weekend," Monlux said.
DSU 102 030 02 -- 8 15 2
MSU 300 002 10 -- 6 7 0
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Ian Anderson, Bronson Collins (7) and Chris Young. Bryan Krahler, Clay Kallias (7), Joel Peterman (8), Jamin Heller (8) and Brian Vine. W-Collins. L-Peterman. HR-DSU, Nolan Bracken, Kevin Park, Willie Sandez.
Highlights: DSU, Willie Sandez 2-for-2, HR; Nolan Bracken 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs; Kevin Park 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI; Tury Escobedo 2-for-4, 2 RBI; Cole Zamira 2-for-5; Derrick Gunderson 2-for-4, 2B. MSU, Jordan Gilmour 2-for-5; Scott Peters 1-for-3, run; Lee Leondorf 2-for-4, run.
DSU 011 011 10 -- 5 10 1
MSU 002 003 01 -- 6 11 1
Ryan Crossingham, Andrew Grafton (7) and Ben Stanbury. Denver Wik, Cody Nevins (6), Jamin Heller (8) and Scott Peters. W-Heller. L-Grafton. HR-DSU, Bracken (8).
Highlights: DSU, Willie Sandez 3-for-4, run; Nolan Bracken 1-for-5, HR; Kevin Park 1-for-3, RBI; Derrick Gunderson 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, run. MSU, Jordan Gilmour 2-for-4, 2 runs; Michael Mesh 2-for-3, 3 RBI; Kerry Boon 2-for-4, 2 RBI; Michael O'Dwyer 1-for-3; Caleb Heilman 2-for-2, 2 runs.
Records: DSU 27-15; MSU 19-26.
