TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Truman State baseball team won three of four games against Northeastern State over the weekend, improving to 3-1 on the young season. The Bulldogs captured victories of 6-2, 7-5, and 8-5 while dropping the series' second game 19-9.
Thursday, February 13
Game 1: Truman State 6, Northeastern State 2
The Bulldogs opened the series with a 6-2 victory in the Thursday afternoon game, getting strong pitching performances from Isaac Epp and the defense.
Truman broke through in the third inning when Tyler Tieman singled through the left side to score Oliver Degenhardt, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Northeastern State answered in the bottom of the inning when He singled up the middle to score Hyder, tying the game 1-1.
The Bulldogs regained the lead in the fifth when Degenhardt hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Nick Steurer to make it 2-1.
Truman broke the game open with a three-run sixth inning. Joey Fentress tripled to center field, and Max Burke drove him in with a single through the right side to make it 3-1. After pinch runner Tyler Towe stole second, Quinten Bauman reached on an error that allowed Towe to score. Colin Mueth followed with a bunt single to third base that scored Shodai Nishihara, pushing the lead to 5-1.
Northeastern State scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 5-2, but Tieman added an insurance run in the seventh with a home run to center field.
Epp earned the win, going five innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven. Ian Junkin pitched a scoreless sixth inning in relief, and Steurer closed out the seventh with three groundouts to record his first save of the season.
Mueth led the offense with two hits, while Degenhardt also had two hits and drove in a run. Tieman finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run.
Game 2: Northeastern State 19, Truman State 9
The nightcap proved to be a challenging outing for the Bulldogs, who fell 19-9 in a game that featured 21 combined runs and eight hit batters.
Truman jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Mueth singled and scored on Degenhardt's RBI single. After Evan Davis walked and both runners stole, Tieman drove in Degenhardt with a groundout. Burke then launched a two-run homer to right field to cap the early rally.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 7-2 in the second inning. Steurer tripled to left-center to score Quinten Bauman, then scored on an error. Davis added an RBI single to make it 7-2.
However, Northeastern State erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the second inning to take control. Finley tripled and later scored to highlight the rally, giving the RiverHawks a 12-7 lead.
Truman scored single runs in the third and seventh innings but couldn't overcome the deficit. Jax Markham drove in a run with a double in the seventh.
Burke's two-run homer led the offensive effort, while Steurer contributed a triple and an RBI. Mueth had two hits and three stolen bases in the loss.
Saturday, February 15
Game 3: Truman State 7, Northeastern State 5
The Bulldogs bounced back in Saturday's first game with a dramatic 7-5 comeback victory, scoring all seven runs in the seventh inning.
Northeastern State took a 1-0 lead in the first when Osborne doubled to left field to score Finley. The RiverHawks extended their advantage to 4-0 in the fifth inning on home runs by He and Gregory.
Truman appeared headed for defeat until the seventh inning, when the offense exploded for seven runs on just three hits, aided by four Northeastern State errors.
Joey Fentress walked to lead off the inning, and after a fielder's choice, pinch runner Reed Drabant advanced to second. Towe reached on a dropped fly ball by the center fielder, allowing Fentress to score the first run. Steurer followed with an RBI double to right field, scoring Drabant and making it 4-2.
The floodgates opened when Mueth reached on an error by the third baseman, scoring Towe. Degenhardt then reached on another error by the third baseman that allowed both Mueth and Steurer to score, giving Truman a 5-4 lead.
After Davis was hit by a pitch, Tieman delivered an RBI single up the middle to score Degenhardt and extend the lead to 6-4. Drabant capped the rally with a bases-loaded walk that forced in Davis to make it 7-4.
Northeastern State scored once in the bottom of the seventh when Sanchez singled to score Finley, but Steurer closed out the game on the mound to earn his second save of the series.
Adam Wittenauer earned the win with a scoreless sixth inning in relief of starter Noah Phillips.
Game 4: Truman State 8, Northeastern State 5
The Bulldogs closed out the series with an 8-5 victory in the nightcap, overcoming an early deficit with a balanced offensive attack.
Northeastern State scored first when Osborne drove in Gregory with a groundout in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead.
Truman answered with two runs in the second inning, both unearned. Davis reached on an error and scored on Ian Thornton's RBI groundout. Steurer then doubled to center field to drive in Gavin Schieffer and give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the third when Degenhardt scored on a wild pitch and Tieman scored on Davis's RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1.
Truman broke the game open in the fourth inning with three more runs. After Thornton was hit by a pitch and Steurer bunted him to second, Mueth reached on an error that loaded the bases. Fentress drove in Thornton with a walk, then both Mueth and Steurer scored to make it 7-1.
Northeastern State fought back in the fourth inning. Miller tripled and scored on He's sacrifice fly, and Hyder followed with an RBI triple to cut the deficit to 7-3.
The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the sixth when Schieffer walked with the bases loaded to score Tieman, pushing the lead to 8-3.
Northeastern State made things interesting in the ninth inning when Pair hit a two-run homer to right field, cutting the deficit to 8-5, but the rally fell short.
Ian Junkin earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief, striking out six batters. Steurer had two hits and an RBI to lead the offense.
SERIES SUMMARY
Truman State won the opening series of the 2026 season 3-1. The Bulldogs showed resilience throughout the weekend, bouncing back from the Game 2 loss with consecutive victories.
Offensive Leaders (Series):
Pitching Performances:
- Ian Junkin: 2 wins (4.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 K)
- Isaac Epp: 1 win (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 K)
- Nick Steurer: 2 saves (2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 K)
- Adam Wittenauer: 1 win (1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 K)
Series Statistics:
| Category |
Truman State |
Northeastern State |
| Runs |
30 |
31 |
| Hits |
30 |
36 |
| Errors |
7 |
11 |
| Home Runs |
2 |
5 |
| Stolen Bases |
13 |
11 |
The Bulldogs demonstrated clutch hitting in key moments, particularly in the seventh-inning rally in Game 3 and the early offensive outbursts in Games 1, 2, and 4. The pitching staff showed improvement as the series progressed, with strong relief performances from Junkin, Wittenauer, and Steurer helping secure the final two victories.
Up Next:
Truman State will host their home opener as part of a five game series against Wisconsin-Parkside this weekend. Games one and two will be on Friday at 1:00 and 3:30 PM. Game three and four will be the same times on Saturday, and the final game of the series will have opening pitch at noon on Sunday.
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