KENOSHA, Wis. – The Bemidji State University Baseball team opened its 2025 season collecting its first win with a split of its doubleheader at University of Wisconsin-Parkside Wednesday afternoon in Kenosha, Wis. The Beavers rallied to earn a 3-1 victory in game one but fell 9-5 in game two to the Rangers.
The Beavers (1-1, 0-0 NSIC) trailed 1-0 at the start of the sixth inning in game one against the Rangers (5-1, 0-0 GLIAC) but rallied to tie the game in the sixth. BSU then took the lead in the top of the seventh with a clutch, pinch-hit, two-run home run by
Chris Lubchuk followed by a 1-2-3 inning from
Cole Smith to earn the save.
Senior
Derek Hoffman was dominant on the mound pitching 6.0 innings and allowed just one earned run off seven hits and collected three strikeouts while only walking one. After allowing the game's first run off of a ground-out RBI in the second inning, Hoffman rallied to shut down the Rangers over the next four innings. Smith then followed with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to earn the save and first victory for the Beavers.
Junior
Noah Drusch drove in the Beavers' first run of the game and season with a double down the third-base line to score
Jack Feldman from first in the top of the sixth.
The Beavers then took their first lead when
Chris Lubchuk came in to pinch hit and homered to left field for two runs and the 3-1 lead.
Ellinghuysen then sent in junior
Cole Smith in the bottom of the seventh for the save opportunity and Smith rose to the occasion sending down the Rangers in order for his first save.
Bemidji State then got off to a quick start in game two when Drusch hit a lead-off home run for the quick 1-0 lead.
The Rangers tied the game in the bottom half of the first but the Beavers exploded for three runs in the third inning to take a 3-1. Junior
Hunter Hyden began the inning with an RBI double and then senior
Zach Evenson drove Hyden home from second with a double of his own. Evenson would eventually get home for the Beavers' fourth run off a wild pitch.
Parkside added another run in the bottom of the third but the Beavers answered with a run of their own in the fifth off a
Chris Lubchuk double. However, the Rangers found their bats in the seventh inning scoring five runs in the inning to take an 8-5 lead and eventually made it 9-5 in the eighth.
Redshirt sophomore
Josh Haugen started the game and pitched 3.2 innings for the no decision. Sophomore
Jacob Smith was credited with the loss after allowing four earned runs off four hits in the seventh.
Drusch,
Chris Lubchuk and Feldman led the Beavers each collecting two hits in the series while Lubchuk paced the team with three RBI and six total bases.
The Beavers quickly get back on the road and travel to Liberty, Mo., for a four-game series at William Jewell College, Feb. 28-Mar. 2.
For more information on the Bemidji State baseball program, follow the Beavers on
X, like them on
Facebook and follow them on
Instagram.
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
--bsu—
