Twins Outlast Royals, Wild Booted by Dallas in Game Six

The Minnesota Twins held on to beat Kansas City in game two of the series, the St. Cloud Norsemen swept Aberdeen to move on to the next round, and the St. Ben's softball team shut out Concordia College twice in a doubleheader on Friday, while the Wild saw their playoff run come to an end at their home arena. On Saturday the St. Cloud State University baseball team will face UMD on the road and the SCSU softball team will host Augustana.

RECAPS:

- The Twins held off a rally from the Royals to win game two of the series 8-6 at home Friday. Jose Miranda and Max Kepler each ran two in for Minnesota, while Jorge Polanco finished with three RBIs. Pablo Lopez struck out seven batters and allowed eight hits and six runs through six innings. The Twins improve to 16-11 and now lead the series 2-0. The teams will continue the series with game three on Saturday in Minneapolis. Pre-game coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The no. 21 Bennies shut out the Cobbers in both halves of a doubleheader on the road Friday. CSB won game one 9-0 and game two 7-0. Jordyn Swoboda had four runs on the day, while Gabby Spencer and Kallie Finkbeiner each added two. Ellie Peterson and Olivia Wallace combined for seven strikeouts and two hits in game one. In game two, Elly Novak and Tiffany Thompson combined for 10 strikeouts and two hits. The Bennies improve to 23-5 and 14-4 MIAC. The team will head to St. Mary's University for another doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch for game one is set for 1:00 p.m. in Winona.

- The Norsemen shut out Aberdeen 3-0 in game three to sweep the NAHL Divisional Semifinals series at home Friday. Carter Bradley, Lucca Munoz, and Blake Perbix each netted one for St. Cloud. Ethan Dahlmeir made a perfect 21 saves. The Norsemen will now face the Austin Bruins in the Divisional Finals next week.

- The Wild saw their season come to an end in game six of the round one series against Dallas at Xcel Energy Center on Friday. The Stars beat Minnesota 4-1 to win the series 4-2 and advance to the next round. Frédérick Gaudreau scored the lone goal for the Wild in the third period to avoid a shutout. Filip Gustavsson made 23 saves and allowed three goals and Marc-André Fleury made six saves in the loss.

PREVIEWS:

- The SCSU baseball team (24-14, 16-7 NSIC) will face Duluth (16-23, 9-17 NSIC) in a doubleheader up north Saturday afternoon. The Huskies are 29-8 all-time against the Bulldogs and swept the series last season. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.

- The SCSU softball team (29-16, 14-6 NSIC) will host the Vikings (33-12, 20-4) NSIC in a doubleheader on Saturday. The Huskies are riding a four-game winning streak, while Augustana has gone 3-1 over their last four. The teams split the regular season series last year. Game one is set to start at 11:00 a.m. at Selke Field.