AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The University of Minnesota Morris got its offense rolling on Monday with a sweep of Farmingdale State College by scores of 8-3 and 11-6. The two wins improve the Cougars to 3-8 early in the season.

Minnesota Morris has a single game tomorrow against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham. The venue has changed from the original schedule and it will now take place in Auburndale, Fla. beginning at 9 a.m. (EDT).

Game 1: Minnesota Morris 8, Farmingdale State 3
Minnesota Morris scored at least one run in each of the first five innings to open up a big lead and hang on from there in a win to start the afternoon. Brian Vanyo (1-1) earned the win, throwing 5.2 innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out five. Nolan Satre threw the final 1.1 innings and had a pair of strikeouts.

David Steffen led off the game with a single and eventually scored off a RBI single from Ethan Schmitz. In the second inning, a Ben Meuser triple scored Tyler Scheler before a Keegan Jonas single brought Meuser home to make it 3-0.

The Cougars added on two more runs in the top of the third. After being hit by a pitch, Scheler eventually scored on another RBI hit from Meuser. Meuser would later score on a wild pitch to make it 5-0. One inning later, Schmitz was back at it with a RBI double to plate Alex Baumann. Following a Farmingdale State run in the bottom of the fourth, the Cougars answered back with a RBI single from Steffen that scored Meuser and Jonas to make it 8-1.

Both Steffen and Meuser had three-hit games for Minnesota Morris. Schmitz, Scheler, and Jonas all added two hits apiece as the Cougars pounded out 13 as a team.

Game 2: Minnesota Morris 11, Farmingdale State 6
The second game turned into a bit of a nail-biter as Farmingdale State clawed back from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game at 6-6 in the top of the sixth before Minnesota Morris scored five runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game to rest.

Early on, it appeared that the Cougars would once again have a fairly easy time of it. An error in the outfield in the bottom of the second inning allowed Baumann and Ty Beasley to score. One batter later, Ashton Pauly drove in Steffen with a single to increase the lead to 3-0.

Farmingdale State got two runs back in the top of the third, only for Minnesota Morris to immediately respond with three more runs in the bottom half to take a 6-2 advantage. A bases-loaded walk from Evan Benson brought Scheler home for a 4-2 lead. Steffen then added another RBI single to score Meuser. A wild pitch later in the inning scored Beasley.

The Rams came back to tie the game with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before a Minnesota Morris error with two down in the top of the sixth scored two and made it a brand new ballgame at 6-6.

Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Pauly was hit by a pitch and Schmitz drew a walk, ending the day of Farmingdale State pitcher Kevin Primm. Jonas greeted the relief pitcher for the Rams with a bunt single to load the bases and Scheler then drove in two with a RBI single. A double from Meuser followed to make it 9-6. Baumann tacked on another RBI later in the inning and a RBI groundout from Benson left the score at 11-6 heading into the final inning. In that last frame, Brady Kenning struck out the first two batters he faced and had few concerns as the Cougars wrapped it up.

Steffen (1-0) took the win in relief for Minnesota Morris. Scheler and Meuser each had two hits in the game.