Norsemen Hold on for OT Win in Austin, Twins Shut Out Guardians

The St. Cloud Norsemen took the lead in the Division Finals series with a win in Austin, the Minnesota Twins opened the series in Cleveland with a win, and all four Lynx rookies shined in the team's first preseason game of the year on Friday. Meanwhile, the St. Cloud State University men's baseball team got swept in a doubleheader by Wayne State College at home. On Saturday, the St. Cloud State softball team will resume action in the NSIC Tournament, after weather delayed Friday's game.

RECAPS:

- The Norsemen pulled off a close win 4-3 win in overtime to beat the Bruins in game one of the best-of-five Division Finals on the road Friday night. Austin struck first, scoring the only goal in the opening period. In the second, St. Cloud responded with two of their own to take the lead but the Bruins scored two more. The Norsemen capped off the middle period with the game-tying score. Neither team netted one in the third, so things moved to overtime. Early in the extra period, St. Cloud lit the lamp to steal the win. Anthony Ruklic netted two for the Norsemen, including the game-winner. Andrew Clarke and Daniels Murnieks each added one for St. Cloud. Ethan Dahlmeir made 23 saves and allowed three goals. The Norsemen lead the series 1-0 and will return to the ice in Austin for game two on Saturday. Puck-drop is set for 7:05 p.m.

- The Twins opened up a three-game road series against Cleveland with a 2-0 win on Friday. After five scoreless innings, Max Kepler knocked out a two-run homer for the Twins, to put Minnesota on top. Bailey Ober struck out six batters and allowed just three hits in the first seven innings of the shutout. The Twins improve to 19-14 and the Guardians fall to 14-18. The teams will play game two Saturday night in Ohio. Pre-game coverage starts at 4:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The Lynx took the court for the first time since August and earned a 72-69 preseason win over Washington. Diamond Miller, who was selected no. 2 by the Lynx in the 2023 draft, saw 34 minutes of action on the court and also led the team with 19 points. Fellow rookie Dorka Juhász led the team in rebounds with 10 and added 11 points. Rachel Banham scored 13 points off the bench. The Lynx will take on Chicago in their final preseason game on May 13th. That matchup will be held in Toronto, making it the first WNBA game to be played in Canada.

- The SCSU baseball team dropped both games in a doubleheader against Wayne State at home on Friday. St. Cloud fell 12-4 in game one and 11-5 in game two. John Nett, Sam Riola, and Kevin Butler each scored two runs on the day for SCSU. The Huskies fall to 28-17 and 20-10 NSIC and will close out the regular season when they host the Wildcats in the third and final game of the series at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

PREVIEWS:

- The SCSU softball team will resume their matchup against Augustana in the NSIC Tournament. The action was postponed mid-way through the game on Friday due to the weather. At the end of four innings, St. Cloud led 3-2. The game is expected to resume at 10:00 a.m. Saturday in Rochester. The winner of the Huskies and Vikings game will face UMD in the conference championship.