EMPORIA, Kan. – No. 7 Winona State University prevailed in an extra-inning marathon Sunday afternoon, winning its road trip finale at Emporia State University, 8-7.
Katelyn Kolb went 4-for-6 at the plate for Winona State and drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 11th inning.
After a pair of scoreless frames in extra innings, the Warriors looked poised to hit the road victorious after plating two runs in the top of the 10th. Shaky defense by Winona State in the bottom of the inning kept the door open for the home team and the Hornets plated a pair of runs to tie the game once again and force the 11th frame.
With two outs, Kolb came up with a clutch RBI-single in the top of the 11th to put the Warriors on top once and for all.
Jordyn Kleman (8-2) earned the win for WSU with six innings of relief work. The sophomore bounced back from a loss on Saturday with a dominant effort out of the bullpen, striking out seven batters while allowing just three hits.
The back-and-forth affair began with Emporia scratching the plate first in the bottom of the first inning and holding a 1-0 lead until Winona scored three times in the third. Lani Van Zyl gave the Warriors their first lead of the ballgame with a two-run double, and McKenna Larsen added an RBI-single in the inning.
The Hornets answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to regain a 4-3 edge. Ann Smolenski knotted the score at 4-4 by reaching on a fielder's choice to drive in Kristina Ahlers in the top of the sixth.
Alison Nowak's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh gave the Warriors a 5-4 advantage with a chance to close out the win in regulation, but again the Hornets rallied for a run to even the score and force the extra-inning thriller that ensued.
Larsen started the game in the circle for Winona and earned a no decision. The senior allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 5.0 IP. Larsen also went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI at the plate.
Winona State concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 21-3 record. The Warriors are slated to begin conference play with a doubleheader at Upper Iowa University on Tuesday, March 27.
