St. Joseph, MO – It was a tale of two games on Sunday for the Winona State softball team. WSU used four runs over the final two innings to take own Missouri Southern State 6-1 in the first game of the day. Immediately following that win, Winona State left nine runners on base en route to a 3-1 loss to the host Missouri Western State.
Winona State moves to 11-2 on the season after the split, while Missouri Southern State falls to 8-8 and Missouri Western State improves to 12-5.
Game 1
Following a scoreless first inning for both teams, senior
Rylee Stout broke the deadlock with a bomb to centerfield to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead after two.
WSU took advantage of a Lion miscue in the fourth as
Libby Neveau scored the Warrior's second run of the game on an error by the shortstop.
Winona State tacked on another insurance run in the top of the sixth with
Kayla Kerkman scoring following an error by the Missouri Southern State catcher.
The Warriors didn't leave anything up to chance in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to put the game out of reach for the Lions.
Ann Smolenski hit a 2 RBI double to left field, then a few batters later
Katie Kolb was walked with the bases loaded to plate WSU's final run of the game.
Senior pitcher
Jordyn Kleman (8-0) put on another fantastic performance for the Warriors. Kleman struck out six and allowed just three hits, all of which came in the fourth and fifth innings.
Neveau went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the game. Smolenski led the way with two RBI's.
Game 2
The second game of the day pitted the Warriors against a team they beat just two days prior, Missouri Western State.
MWSU came out swinging in the bottom of the first, going up 2-0 on a two-run homerun on the third batter of the game.
It was a pitchers' duel for the next few innings as Winona State's
Liz Pautz and Missouri Western's Sydney Rader went toe-to-toe to keep the score at 2-0 over the course of the next four innings.
The Warriors finally broke through in the top of the sixth with
Gabby Gedville scoring on an Abby Hlas single to center to cut the Griffon's lead to just one.
Missouri Western tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 3-1 game. WSU failed to score in the top of the seventh and suffered defeat for just the second time this season.
Runners left on base was the name of the game for Winona, as they left at least one runner on base in all but the first inning of the game.
Liz Pautz (3-2) allowed just three hits while striking out six and walking four in the loss.
Rylee Stout went 2-for-3 to lead WSU.
The Warriors will look to keep their 41-game regular season conference winning streak intact on Tuesday, March 30
, as they travel to Fayette, Iowa to take on Upper Iowa in the conference opener for both teams. First pitch is set for 2 p.m., with the second game to follow right after.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu
