ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris baseball team dropped an 11-3 contest to Crown College at the University of Northwestern on Tuesday afternoon. The loss sends the Cougars to 14-15 (9-5 UMAC) on the season.

Starting pitcher Elias Harrington got off to a good start, striking out a pair of Crown hitters in the top of the first inning and another one in the second. Still scoreless heading to the third, the Polars got on the board with a RBI groundout from Rhys Dewick to make it 1-0. Cooper Cicirello got things going for Minnesota Morris in the bottom of that inning, getting hit with a pitch to make it aboard and moving around on a wild pitch and a groundout before Tyler Scheler singled him in to tie the game at 1-1.

A pair of errors from Minnesota Morris in the top of the fifth allowed five Crown runs to score. Dewick drove in the first two before Matthew Shaugabay hit a bases-loaded double to make it 6-1.

Two more runs were in already in the sixth when another Cougar error kept the inning going and Shaugabay again doubled in a run to give Crown a 9-1 edge. 

Minnesota Morris pulled two runs closer with one in the bottom of the sixth on an Evan Benson sacrifice fly and another in the seventh on a Ty Beasley single, but the Cougars were short on time. Shaugabay capped his day with another RBI double in the top of the eighth, scoring two more runs and reestablishing an eight-run lead for Crown.

Beasley, Scheler, and Ben Meuser all collected two hits apiece in the contest. Harrington (1-2) was charged with the loss after going 4.1 innings and giving up five runs (three earned) and striking out four. Brady Kenning worked an inning of scoreless relief in the ninth.

Next up for Minnesota Morris is a weekend trip to New Ulm to face Martin Luther College in a three-game series. The Cougars and Knights meet on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. in the first game of the set.