WINONA, Minn. – Winning 22 consecutive games in any sport, at any level, is not an easy feat. At times during its now program-record 22-game winning streak, Winona State University has made it look easy. But, on Friday afternoon Minnesota Duluth certainly made the Warriors earn it.
WSU overcame a five-run fifth inning deficit in the opener before outlasting the Duluth Bulldogs in 10 innings in the finale for the Warriors' third walk-off win in the last four games.
In a pivotal battled between regionally-ranked foes at Maynard R. Johnson Field on a beautiful spring day, the Bulldogs took the Warriors to the limit – twice. In game one, Alexis Kelsey delivered the game-winning, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 WSU triumph before Jen Giesey sent the Warriors home with a sweep on her walk-off single to end an epic 10-inning battle. Both walk-off knocks came with two outs in their respective innings.
No. 7 Winona State University improves to 37-5 (22-0 NSIC) while Duluth falls to 24-17 (15-7 NSIC). The Warriors 22-game winning streak is tied for the longest current streak in the country among Division II teams with Colorado Mesa.
It was a tale of two offenses in the opening ballgame as UMD got out to a 2-0 lead on one of its two home runs in the tilt in the top of the first frame Jordyn Kleman. The Warriors found themselves trailing 5-0 after five frames while being four-hit by Duluth's Sam Pederson.
Kelsey, the game's hero, broke the WSU scoring drought with a two-run line drive homer to right-center field to finally give the home team some life. Ann Smolenski followed with a walk as a Warrior rally seemed imminent, but Rylee Stout lined into an inning-ending double play and WSU went into the seventh inning with a 5-2 deficit.
Giesey led off the bottom of the seventh with a seemingly harmless single to right field before Carly Kordich doubled and Katie Kolb walked. Suddenly the bases were loaded with no out and the Warriors were in business. Two batters later, Lani Van Zyl drilled a one-out single to the opposite field to make it a one-run ballgame.
With runners on second and third, and one out, Alison Nowak doubled to the left-center field gap but the Bulldogs snuffed out the game-tying run at the plate on the play to maintain a 5-4 edge. Kelsey, who drove in four runs in the game, capped the improbable comeback with a two-run single up the middle to spark the celebration.
Game two saw the Bulldogs again claim an early lead with a run in the top of the second, but the Warriors were much quicker to respond as Nowak jumped on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the frame for a towering solo homer to right field, adding to her NSIC-leading mark of 11 round-trippers.
Winona State took a brief 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third before Duluth answered back with the tying run in the top of the fourth. From there, the teams put up nothing but zeros on the scoreboard over the next five innings as Liz Pautz and Duluth's Breanna Swint tossed shutout frames.
The Warriors' 13-hit barrage, compared to just four by UMD, finally paid off in the bottom of the 10th. Smolenski's two-out single up the middle extended the inning for Stout who drew a walk to move Smolesnki into scoring position. Giesey worked a full count at the plate before roping a single through the left side of the infield to chase home the game-ending run.
Pautz struck out 11 batters while allowing two runs on just four hits over 8.0 IP before her veteran teammate relieved her in the finale. Kleman (20-1) earned wins in the circle in both contests, and currently ranks eighth in the country with 20 victories. Pautz began the game by stirking out the side in the top of the first frame and concluded her outing by inducing a crucial inning-ending double play in the top of the eighth before Kleman took over in the ninth.
The Warriors are right back at it Saturday afternoon as they host St. Cloud State in another doubleheader with regional-ranking implications. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Winona.
