BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Winona State baseball team opened the 2016 season with a doubleheader split Friday afternoon at Southwest Baptist. The Warriors dropped game one 9-3 before earning a 9-4 win in game two.

GAME ONE – SBU 9, WSU 3

The Warriors fell behind early in the opener as the Bearcats scored four earned runs off WSU starter Mitchell Stalsberg. SBU added another run in the third to make it 5-0.

WSU chipped into the lead in the top of the sixth with three runs. Mitch Voter hit an RBI double to score Tyler Nehring, who coaxed a leadoff walk. Mitchell Heid added a sacrifice fly and Ryan Nyhagen recorded an RBI groundout to cut the lead to 5-3. But the Bearcats quickly responded with their second four-run inning to put the game out of reach.

GAME TWO – WSU 9, SBU 4

Winona State again found itself in an early hole in game two, but this time the Warriors were able to rally to post a 9-4 victory and salvage an opening day split.

The Bearcats jumped out to a lead on a second-inning two-run home run off WSU starter Hayden Krimmer and made it 3-0 after a run in the third inning. But the Warriors answered in the fourth, as Nehring and Jesus Cazares recorded back-to-back singles to set up a three-run home run from sophomore Paul Mutch – the first of his career – to tie it at 3-3. That would spark a string of five straight innings where WSU would put runs on the board. Nehring had an RBI double in the fifth and Taylor Field added a two-run home run in the sixth – the third of his career – to up the lead to 6-3.

WSU kept it going in the seventh with an RBI groundout from Mitch Voter before Joe Kubera – who was 4-for-5 in game two – hit a 2-RBI triple to extend the lead to the eventual 9-4 final.

Krimmer (1-0) earned the win on the hill for WSU giving up five hits and four earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts in six innings of work. Newcomer Daniel Karlin-Kamin earned the three-inning save, allowing just one hit while walking and striking out one batter each.

Winona State (1-1) plays a final 9-inning game against Southwest Baptist Saturday at noon.