SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Winona State University claimed the finale of a four-game weekend series at Augustana University on Saturday evening, winning the non-conference affair over the defending NCAA DII Champion Vikings, 10-7.
The two teams were originally slated for a three-game weekend set before adding Saturday's non-conference tilt before the start of the NSIC series on Friday.
It was a hitter-friendly day at Karras Park as the clubs combined for 57 total hits over 16 innings of action. No. 22 Augustana University out-slugged WSU in game one, 16-11, in a tilt that saw 35 of those hits fall over nine innings of play.
After their opening game triumph, the Vikings once again jumped on the offensive attack in game two with a pair of runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead. Following a scoreless third frame, the Warrior offense sprung to life for what would be eight unanswered runs.
Sam Kohnle doubled to lead off the top of the fourth inning and scored two batters for the first WSU run of the ballgame. Austin Savary drew a one-out walk and move into scoring position on a wild pitch ahead of an RBI-single by Derek Baumgartner to cut the Augie lead to 4-2. The Warriors proceeded to take their first lead of the day with a six-run frame in the fifth inning.
Stange and Mitchell Seager drew back-to-back walks to lead off the fifth and set the table a run-scoring single by Tanner Williams. Seager later stole third base and scored on an errant throw by the pitcher that allowed Chad Herbst to reach. Williams crossed home plate for the game-tying run when Andrew Pliner also reached compliments a Viking errors. Herbst, Pliner, and Savary would each touched home before the inning came to an end as the Warriors doubled up the home team's score, 8-4. Justin Firpo and Stange each had run-scoring hits in the frame.
Augustana answered with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the WSU lead to 8-7 before Savary added to his RBI total with two more in the top of the sixth for a three-run Warrior cushion.
Senior Brett Herber (2-1) was the winning pitcher in the finale for Winona State while Firpo notched his first save of the season with two scoreless innings of relief work.
Freshman Kyle Gendron (2-3) had his toughest outing to date in game one, allowing nine runs (seven earned) to the high-powered Viking offense. Augustana owned a 5-0 lead after two innings and chased the rookie right-hander after three innings with a 9-3 advantage.
Winona State hung three runs on the board in both the third and fourth frames amid the high-scoring affair to make it just a 9-6 Augie advantage heading to the fifth inning. Herbst led off the fourth with a solo homer before a Nick Nalewanski single sparked a WSU rally. Stange and Derek Martin each recorded run-scoring hits in the inning to cut the home team's lead to three.
Augustana seemingly put the game out of reach with five runs in the bottom of the fifth but the resilient Warriors answered with a five-spot of their own in the top of the sixth inning.
WSU loaded the bases with no out in the sixth and Stange pushed across the first run with a free pass. Martin singled home one more and a wild pitch made it a 14-9 affair. Two batters later, a two-out single by Kohnle cut the deficit to 14-11 before the Vikings finally escaped further damage.
Martin and Stange each drove in three runs in the game one setback as Augustana went on to pad its lead in the seventh and eighth innings.
Winona State concludes the weekend with a record of 17-18 (9-13 NSIC) while Augustana improves to 30-12, 23-4 NSIC).
The Warriors return to the road on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Upper Iowa University before retuning to Loughrey Field in Winona for a three-game set with Sioux Falls.
