SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Winona State University ran away with its 12th straight win in the opening round game of the NSIC Tournament against Southwest Minnesota State 11-3 in six innings, but the final score didn't exemplify the toe-to-toe battle the Warriors and Mustangs were locked in on Thursday afternoon at Bowden Park.
Earlier in the day, the 10th-seeded Mustangs knocked off the defending National Champion Mankato Mavericks in their first round game to advance to play Winona State. SMSU proceeded in the winner's bracket and only trailed WSU by a 2-0 count after three innings before surging ahead with a 3-2 advantage in the top of the fourth frame. From there, the Warrior bats and senior pitcher McKenna Larsen took over.
The Mustangs erased their 2-0 deficit in the fourth on a three-run homer by Alex Reak off NSIC Pitcher of the Year Jordyn Kleman. Winona State senior Jamee Schleis wasted little time tying the game in the bottom of the fourth frame with a one-out solo homer. The clutch long ball was only her second of the season but second in as many weeks.
Seeking their second upset of the day, the Mustangs put the first two batters on base in the top of the fifth which chased Kleman from the game. Larsen, who traditionally doesn't rely on the strikeout, entered the circle and proceeded to punchout the next two batters she faced before recording the final out of the inning on a grounder.
After a quick out in the bottom of the fifth, the Warriors rattled off seven runs on six hits to put the ballgame away. Lani Van Zyl, the NSIC Player of the Year, doubled and Alison Nowak followed with the go-ahead two-run homer. The WSU offense was far from done though as Larsen followed with her 37th career double (12th all-time) and scored two batters later on a sacrifice by Jen Giesey to pad the lead to 6-3. Schleis followed with an RBI-double and fellow senior Samantha McLean was next with a two-run double as the Winona State lead swelled to 10-3.
The resilient Mustangs opened the top of the sixth with a pair of singles, but Larsen denied their rally by striking out the side. Giesey, a freshman, ended the game with a two-out RBI-double in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
Larsen (16-4) fanned five batters in only two innings of work in relief. The senior southpaw's 54th career victory (seventh all-time) may have been her biggest to date as the veteran's poise on the mound helped Winona avoid a first-round upset. Larsen's .806 career winning percentage is fourth-best in program history.
The senior leadership continued at the plate as McLean, Schleis and Schultz combined to go 5-for-9 with four RBI in the victory. Nowak and Van Zyl each went 3-for-4 with the former driving in three runs.
Winona State (42-5) advances in the winner's bracket to face Northern State for the third time in the past week. The Warriors swept the Wolves at home on Sunday to clinch the NSIC regular season title. First pitch between the two regionally-ranked teams is set for 12 p.m. at Bowden Park.
The Warriors are seeking their seventh conference postseason championship.
