WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State baseball team received strong pitching performances but were unable to generate much offense as it was swept by Minnesota State in low-scoring affairs Sunday at Loughrey Field in Winona. The Warriors dropped game one 2-1 before falling 4-1 in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: MSU 2, WSU 1
The Warriors outhit the Mavericks 7-6 and sophomore southpaw Mitchell Stalsberg was impressive on the mound, but WSU was unable to score until the sixth inning, falling to MSU 2-1.
Despite the loss, Stalsberg (4-5) tossed a complete game while giving up just one earned run while scattering six hits and striking out 11 Mavericks.
The Mavericks scored first in the top of the second on a bases loaded passed ball, but Stalsberg was able to limit the damage, forcing a strikeout and a harmless groundout to end the inning with just one unearned run allowed.
MSU picked up an insurance run in the top of the sixth when a leadoff walk and a sac bunt put a runner in scoring position with one out. Stalsberg struck out the next batter but an RBI single gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead.
Ryan Nyhagen led off the bottom of the inning with a base hit to center and eventually scored on an RBI single up the middle from Mitch Voter to cut the deficit in half at 2-1, but the Warriors were unable to push across the tying run.
GAME TWO: MSU 4, WSU 1
An RBI double in the first inning and a solo home run in the second inning helped the Mavericks jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in game two. MSU's second of three home runs on the day pushed the lead to 3-0 in the fourth, but WSU belted a home run of their own when Tyler Nehring went yard in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1.
But the Mavericks hit one more home run in the sixth down the left field line to stretch the lead back to three and went on to win the nightcap 4-1. Nehring had two of the Warriors' four hits in game two.
Starter Daniel Karlin-Kamin (2-6) was saddled with the loss, allowing three earned runs and seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
Winona State (16-25-1, 13-15-1 NSIC) closes out the regular season next week, traveling to Upper Iowa for a doubleheader Wednesday before a four-game series with Concordia-St. Paul on Friday and Saturday at Loughrey Field in Winona.