BRANDON, S.D. – Winona State University was handed a pair of losses by the reigning conference champion Minot State University Beavers on Wednesday afternoon at Aspen Park. Minot State scored three unanswered runs in the opener for a 5-2 victory before holding on for a win in the finale, 5-4.
The midweek twinbill was originally slated to be played at Loughrey Field in Winona but was relocated due to field conditions.
Winona State falls to 11-10 (5-5 NSIC) while Minot State improves to 10-9 (4-3 NSIC) with its first conference sweep of the year.
Nick Nalewanski went 4-for-6 on the day with an RBI for WSU.
An RBI-single by Tanner Williams in the bottom of the first inning in game one scored Zac Stange as the Warriors were off and running against last year's regular season champs, staking starter Austin Savary to a 1-0 lead.
Savary (0-3) looked poised for his first win of the season, sitting the Beavers down in order in the top of the first. After working around a pair of Minot singles in the second, Savary ran into trouble in the third frame. The Beavers scattered three hits against the southpaw in the inning while scratching across a pair of runs for a 2-1 lead.
The Warrior bats came back to life in the bottom of the fifth when Williams sparked a rally with a one-out single to right field. Sam Kohnle followed with a single to left which chased Williams to third, and Chad Herbst knotted the score at 2-2 with a sac fly.
The Beavers quickly regained the lead on a pair of doubles in the top of the sixth which was all they would need to secure the win. Minot State did add two more runs (one earned) in the seventh off reliever Jacob Watzka, who tossed the final inning for WSU.
Minot State owned a slight 10-9 edge in the hit column in game one and saw Winona State post a 12-9 advantage in the nightcap, however the Warriors combined to strand 18 runners on base which proved to be the difference in the twinbill.
Freshman hurler Kyle Gendron continued to impress this season in game two before making an early exit with a 3-2 lead. The rookie allowed two runs on three hits while striking out five over 5.0 IP in the no decision.
After a shaky first frame in which the Beavers took a 1-0 lead, Gendron retired 12 straight batters from the conclusion of the first inning to the start of the fifth when Minot State snapped the right-handers streak and eventually stretch the difference to 2-0.
The Warriors finally mounted an offensive attack in the home half of the fifth, stringing together four straight singles in the inning to claim a 3-2 advantage. Nalewanski, Nathan Loomis and Stange each collected one-out singles to load the bases before Derek Martin broke WSU's drought with an RBI-single to right field. Loomis then scored the tying run on a wild pitch before Williams connected on a sac fly for the lead.
As was the case in the opener, Minot State wasted little time jumping back in front as the Beavers tagged Parker Holmstrom (2-1) for three runs on four hits. The Beavers reclaimed a 4-3 lead on a two-run homer and added a final tally before Holmstrom was reliever. Justin Firpo took over on the mound and halted the Beaver rally in its tracks to give WSU a fighting chance.
Andrew Pliner singled to lead off the eighth inning and came around to score on a two-out double by Nalewanski as the Minot lead shrunk to 5-4. The Warriors again put the leadoff man aboard in the bottom of the ninth, but failed to cash in on the opportunity as the Beavers held on for the sweep.
In a non-save situation Nicolas Herold extended his scoreless streak to eight straight appearances. The sophomore fanned four batters over 3.0 IP to close the game. Both pitching staffs accounted for 10 strikeouts apiece in the finale.
The Warriors will look to bounce back this weekend with a three-game series scheduled at Minnesota Crookston beginning on Saturday. Stay tuned to WinonaStateWarriors.com for any potential weather-related updates.
