Minnesota State Defeats Nebraska-Omaha for NCC Baseball Championship

Jay Bresnahan's bases-loaded single drove in Zach Danelson in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Minnesota State to a 5-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha in the championship game of the 2007 North Central Conference Baseball Tournament today in St. Cloud.

The Mavericks, who upped their record to 44-8 for 2007 with the victory, trailed UNO 3-2 in the top of the seventh. UNO scored another run in the top of the eighth to go up 4-2, but MSU rallied on RBI singles from Eric Austvold and Kosuke Hattori in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 4-4. Nick Fellman tossed a scoreless top of the ninth and then Danelson led off the bottom of the inning with a single. Scott Kemp sacrificed Danelson to second and after UNO walked Nick Gonzalez, Josh Simon singled to load the bases. Bresnahan then singled to left center to score Danelson to give the Mavericks their second NCC championship in a row.

The championship is the 21st NCC baseball title for MSU and the 44 wins by the Mavericks this year establishes a new season record. Last year's team, which went 43-13, had owned the record.

The Mavericks, who entered the weekend ranked eighth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll, now await a bid to the 2007 NCAA Division II Tournament.  Regional action will begin May 17th at sites to be announced Monday.

--Courtesy msumavericks.com