MANKATO, Minn. – No. 21 Winona State University remained undefeated in conference play with its fourth straight sweep on Wednesday as the Warriors tallied a pair of wins at Minnesota State Mankato. Alexis Kelsey and Alison Nowak each enjoyed leisurely stroll around the bases as the Warriors have blasted 12 homers in their past eight games.
The opening tilt went to Winona State, 5-1, with a 3-1 Warrior victory closing the day.
Winona State's home run total on the year now stands at 20 as the Warriors' have muscled-up with the start of conference action. Leading the recent charge is Nowak who belted her sixth round-tripper in the last eight games since the start of the conference slate.
WSU (23-5, 8-0 NSIC) appears to be firing on all cylinders as of late with the offense finding ways to manufacture runs both big and small, and the Warriors' 1-2 punch in the circle continuing to dominate. Jordyn Kleman (12-1) three-hit the Mavericks in the opener before Liz Pautz (7-2) matched her season high with 13 strikeouts in the finale.
Kelsey's homer in the top of the fourth inning in game one broke a scoreless tie and marked the first of three straight frames for Warrior runs. The home run was Kelsey's second in as many games as the redshirt junior has driven in 10 runs since the start of NSIC play last week.
The Warriors played small ball for their second run of the opening affair when Carly Kordich singled in the fifth and promptly stole second base. After advancing to third, the sophomore scored on a fielder's choice by Kayla Kerkman.
Jen Giesey continued her red-hot RBI production with a run-scoring double in the sixth to make it a 3-0 ballgame. Giesey has driven in seven runs in the last six games. Kerman added two more RBI to her game total of three with a single later in the sixth inning. The freshman has now hit safely in 23 of her last 25 games.
With a lead in her back pocket, Kleman began to dice the Mavericks when WSU took its lead in the fourth by sitting down nine straight batters leading to the final inning. The right-hander was denied her shutout bid with two outs in the seventh frame but easily secured the Warrior win. Kleman, the reigning NSIC Pitcher of the Week, continues to lead the NSIC in wins (12) and opponent batting average (.152).
In game two, the reigning NSIC Player of the Week, Nowak, gave Pautz and the Warriors and early lead with a run-scoring fielder's choice in the top of the first. The Mavericks plated an unearned run against Pautz in the bottom of the third to knot the score before Nowak's two-run big fly accounted for the game-winning runs in the fifth frame.
With the lead intact following Nowak's homer, Pautz struck out seven of the final 14 batters she faced. The sophomore has now allowed one earned run or less in 11 of her 12 appearances this season and leads the NSIC with a 0.70 ERA.
Rylee Stout and Lani Van Zyl each recorded two hits at the plate in the victorious finale.
At long last, the Warriors are now scheduled to open the home portion of their schedule with four games at Maynard R. Johnson Field this weekend. An announcement is expected to be made on Thursday regarding the weekend doubleheaders against both SMSU and Sioux Falls. Stay tuned to WinonaStateWarriors.com for details.
