SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Winona State University's bats came alive in the nightcap of a split doubleheader as the Warriors defeated Rogers State University, 6-3, for their first victory of the 2018 campaign. Winona State dropped a 6-1 decision in its first game of the day against Drury University.
The win in game two marked the first time this season the Warriors didn't plate the first run of the contest as Rogers State grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning.
Winona immediately responded as Nick Nalewanski led off the bottom of the frame with the first of three straight singles which loaded the bases with no out. Zach Stange followed with a two-run double down the left field line to give the Warriors a 2-1 edge. Later in the inning, Tanner Williams would score on a Sam Kohnle groundout to put WSU up 3-1 after three innings.
The box score would repeat itself in the fifth inning as the Hillcats scored once in the top of the frame to make it a one-run ballgame, only to see the Warriors hang another three spot on the scoreboard. Stange and Andrew Pliner singled with one out, and a two-out infield single by Taylor Field chased Rogers State starter Preston Whitten from the mound. A bases-loaded walk by Chad Herbst forced in a run, as did a hit-by-pitch on Kipp Youngquist. The Hillcats again went to the bullpen only to see their new reliever issue a bases-loaded walk to Nate Nick Nalewanski to give Winona a 6-2 lead before the inning came to an end.
Rogers State tallied the final run of the game in the top of the seventh.
Aaron Mutter (1-1) started the game and completed 3.1 IP to earn his first win of the season. Mutter allowed one run on three hits and struck out one batter. Parker Holmstrom scattered a pair of hits and worked out of a jam in the top of the ninth to notch his first save of the year.
Drury's Austin Simms went the distance on the mound for the Panthers in the afternoon win against the Warriors.
Winona State jumped out to an early lead in the second inning of the ballgame as Field scored on a Youngquist groundout. That stood as the Warriors lone run in the opener as the Panthers quickly erased their deficit to knot the score with a run in the bottom of the second inning.
Drury would play small-ball in the fourth inning to manufacture a run off Brett Herber and take the lead, 2-1.
On the mound, Simms held the Warriors to three hits over the final six frames.
Herber lasted until the seventh inning for Winona when the Panthers plated four runs in the bottom of the frame. Herber (0-2) allowed five runs on nine hits over 6.1 IP. He struck out three batters and walked two.
Stange, a freshman, went 2-for-4 in both ballgames and leads the team with a .389 batting average on the young season.
The Warriors (1-4) return to the diamond for a single game against Drury on Saturday at 11 a.m. and complete their road trip with one more game against Rogers State on Sunday.
