SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Winona State baseball team swept Sioux Falls Saturday at Harmodon Park in Sioux Falls. The Warriors picked up a 14-10 win in 10 innings in the opener before posting an 8-6 victory in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: WSU 14, USF 10 (10 inn.)
The Warriors used a five-run 10th inning to seal a 14-10 come-from-behind victory in the opener.
WSU scored first when Tyler Nehring produced an RBI single to put the Warriors up 1-0 in the top of the first. Michael Hommes added to the lead in the third with an RBI single of his own and Mitch Voter picked up one as well in the fourth inning to give the Warriors a 4-0 lead.
But the Cougars erased the lead and built one of their own with an 8-run bottom of the fourth inning to move ahead 8-4. The lead wouldn't last long, however, as WSU battled back with a six-run top of the fifth. Taylor Field led off the inning's scoring with a solo home run to center field, then Ryan Nyhagen plated a pair of runners with a single to center field. Jesus Cazares also picked up an RBI single before Field recorded his second hit of the inning – this time a two-run single to put the Warriors back in front 9-8.
Sioux Falls tied it up once again with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth and the two teams went scoreless for the next four innings.
WSU broke through in the 10th with what would be the winning runs on a two-run triple by Hommes. Kipp Youngquist then gave the Warriors breathing room with a three-run home run – the first of the season and second of his career – to extend WSU's lead to 14-9. The Cougars scored one in the bottom of the inning but it wasn't enough as the Warriors picked up the 14-10 win.
Jacob Watzka earned the first win of his career, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning. Mitch Voter made a pair of pitching appearances in the game, tossing two innings of relief before re-entering to strikeout the final two batters of the game. Voter fanned seven of the eight batters he faced in the outing.
GAME TWO: WSU 8, USF 6 (7 inn.)
In another back-and-forth game two, the Warriors came out on top with an 8-6 win to earn the road sweep.
The Cougars struck first with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, but a four-run top of the third put the Warriors in front 4-1 after an RBI single by Ryan Nyhagen, a two-run triple by Tyler Nehring and an RBI single from Taylor Field.
USF answered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-4 lead before WSU took back the lead for good in the fifth with a pair of runs on two run-scoring singles from Nehring and Field.
The Warriors upped the lead to 8-5 with two more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Jesus Cazares and an RBI single from Mitch Voter. The Cougars got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, but Voter shut the door in the seventh with his second save of the day, sending the USF batters down 1-2-3.
Starter Daniel Karlin-Kamin (2-5) earned the win, going four innings while giving up eight hits and five runs with three walks and three strikeouts.
Winona State (15-21, 12-11 NSIC) returns to Harmodon Park Sunday at noon for another doubleheader with Sioux Falls.
