WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State baseball team closed out its 10-game homestand with a split against Southwest Minnesota State on Tueday afternoon at Loughrey Field. Winona State won the first game of the doubleheader 10-8, and were poised for a big win in game two, but a seven-run ninth inning rally spoiled WSU's bid for a sweep with a 10-7 defeat in the nightcap.
 
In the first game, the Mustangs were able to jump up early on WSU starter Jay Voter. After getting the first two outs, a single and a double off the center field wall gave SMSU the 1-0 lead.
 
However, the Warriors answered big time with a five-run inning in the bottom of the first. Travis Evanson started out his big game with an RBI double down the left field line that scored Andrew Geislinger and Jesus Cazares to give WSU a 2-1 lead. Jordan Plamann added to it with an RBI single in the next at-bat to make it a 3-1 game.
 
A few batters later, Winona State added two more runs on RBI singles from Nathan Krause and Taylor Field to expand the lead to 5-1.
 
The Mustangs cut into the Warrior lead to two after a two RBI single by Derek Branson made it a 5-3 game. However, Evanson stretched the lead back to four in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run to deep center field that made it a 7-3 game.
 
Winona State added three more runs in the third inning on yet another RBI single from Evanson and a two RBI double for Tyler Nehring to the right center field gap to give the Warriors a hefty 10-3 lead.
 
Southwest Minnesota State would come back and make it a game. They added a run in the first inning on an RBI single to cut the Warrior lead to 10-4. The Mustangs put together a strong sixth inning, scoring three runs on three an RBI single, a bases loaded walk, and a sacrifice fly to make it a 10-8 game. Two batters later, WSU relief pitcher Josh Nielsen would strike out the batter with the bases loaded to get out of the jam.
 
Mitch Voter came in and pitched a strong seventh inning for the Warriors. After a leadoff error by shortstop Kipp Youngquist, Voter struck out the next batter and drew a double play ball to end the game and allow Winona State to come away with a 10-8 win.
 
Winona State took advantage of a sloppy game by the Mustangs, scoring 10 runs on 14 hits and committing three errors while Southwest Minnesota State scored eight runs on 11 hits and committed seven errors on the game.
 
Picking up the win for the Warriors was Jay Voter, pitching five innings and giving up four runs, all earned on nine hits and four walks to go with seven strikeouts. His brother Mitch Voter picked up the save, his second of the season.
 
Evanson led the Winona State offense, going 4-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored, going just a triple short of hitting the cycle.
 
The second game of the doubleheader was a back-and-forth battle with little offense until the ninth inning.
 
The Mustangs picked up an early run in the first inning on an RBI single by Jared Carlson to make a 1-0 game. It would stay that way until the fifth inning when SMSU added another RBI single by Tanner Neale to make a 2-0 Mustang lead.
 
In the bottom of the frame, the Warrior bats came alive. After having only one hit through the first four innings, with the one hit coming off the bat of Mitch Heid, Heid was the one to ignite the offense.
 
Heid crushed a line drive solo home run to left center to put the Warriors on the board to make it a 2-1 game. Later in the inning, Andrew Geislinger smashed an RBI double to left center, scoring Taylor Field and tying the game up at 2-2. Jesus Cazares added an RBI single up the middle, scoring Geislinger from second to give the Warriors the lead at 3-2.
 
After cruising through the first seven innings, Will Lundquist gave up a solo home run in the top of the eighth to tie the game up at 3-3.
 
While both teams struggled to score most of the game, the ninth inning would be a big innings for both teams on the offensive end.
 
The Mustangs strung together seven runs in their top of the frame. The scoring started on a two-run home run that just stayed fair down the left field line that gave SMSU the 5-3 lead, ending Lundquist's day.
 
SMSU added to it with an RBI double four batters later, and then Shane Sellner followed it up with a bases clearing double, scoring three more runs and making it a 9-3 game. The Mustangs would add another RBI single to make it a 10-3 game.
 
However, the Warriors would not go down without a fight. After Heid got a loud out on a screaming line drive that was caught, Nathan Krause launched a deep home run over the right center field fence to make it 10-4. WSU loaded the bases on singles by Field, Youngquist, and a walk for Geislinger.
 
Winona State added a run the easy way as Casares drew a bases loaded walk to make it 10-5. Evanson knocked in two runs on an error that got by the third baseman, scoring Geislinger and Youngquist and cutting the SMSU lead to 10-7.
 
The Warriors brought the tying run to the plate twice, but Plamann struck out and Nehring flew out to center field to end the threat.
 
SMSU took the game by scoring 10 runs on 14 hits with an error while the Warriors mustered seven runs on 10 hits with an error.
 
Lundquist picked up the loss, dropping to 1-2 on the season, but pitched a solid game. Lundquist went 8 1/3 innings, giving up five runs, four earned on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
 
Field led the Warrior bats in the second game, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Heid also had a solid game for the Warriors, going 2-for-4 with a homer, an RBI and a run scored.
 
With the split, Winona State moves to 8-14, 6-4 in NSIC play and closes out its 10 game home stand 6-4. The Warriors will now move on to play their first NSIC road games of the season, as they will travel to Minnesota Crookston for a weekend doubleheader on Friday and Saturday.