PITTSBURG, Kan. – After a handful of weather-related scheduling changes, Winona State University officially opened its season at Pittsburg State University. Originally scheduled as a four-game weekend series, the Warriors and Gorillas ultimately settled for a doubleheader split on Sunday.
In their first live action of the new year, the Warriors put up 15 combined runs against a Gorilla team that qualified for the NCAA Regional in 2018. Pitt State prevailed in the opener after rallying for a 6-4 win before Winona State dominated the finale, 11-2.
Zac Stange and Tanner Williams each homered in game two of the twinbill while Caleb Schoenholz and Dillon Whittaker combined for a three-hitter on the mound.
The Gorillas started the finale with a bang as one of the two hits allowed off Schoenholz was a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The junior southpaw was lights out from there, allowing just one more hit over four innings. Whittaker (1-0) was the winning pitcher in relief as the sophomore right-hander allowed only one hit over the final five innings.
Back-to-back doubles by Williams and Sam Kohnle sparked the offense in the fourth frame as the Warriors erased their 2-0 deficit by ultimately hanging eight runs on the scoreboard. A bases-loaded walk by Mitchell Seager forced in the go-ahead run. Two batters later with two more runs already across the plate, Stange blasted a three-run homer to make it an 8-2 ballgame.
Williams tagged a two-run blast in the top of the ninth and Derek Martin added an RBI-single before the inning came to an end.
Williams had a huge day offensively, combing to go 5-for-9 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Kohnle went 5-for-6 with two doubles and three walks in the twinbill.
Kohnle doubled with two outs in the top of the first inning of game one and later scored on a Gorilla error to break the scoring seal on the afternoon. An RBI-double by Nathan Loomis padded the Warrior lead to 2-0 and Austin Savary's two-run double in the fifth stretched the lead to 4-0.
Pitt State got back into the game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. The Gorillas would then knot the score at 4-4 in the sixth frame before tacking on two more runs in the inning which stood as the final 6-4 tally.
Aaron Mutter earned a no decision in the starting effort for WSU. The junior allowed three runs on four hits over five innings while striking out four batters.
The Warriors will return to the road in two weeks for a four-game series against Maryville University on March 1-3 in St. Louis, Missouri.
