Winona, Minn.- The Winona State University (1-1 / 0 - 0 NSIC) baseball team heads to Springfield, Mo. this weekend for three games. The Warriors are coming off of a split with McKendree University last weekend, where they defeated the Bearcats in the season opener for both teams 5-1 before falling the next day, 17-15.
WSU (1-1 / 0-0 NSIC) will take on Drury University (0-0 / 0-0 GLVC) at noon on Saturday before facing Maryville (Mo.) University (0-4 / 0-0 GLVC) at 3:30pm. Both games are 9-inning contents. On Sunday, Winona State will play Maryville again with first pitch set for noon.
The Warriors will be the first opponent Drury has faced in the 2021 campaign while Maryville has struggled out of the gate, dropping four contests to Hillsdale (Mich.) College last weekend.
Winona State battled back from 1-0 deficit in their win over McKendree on Feb. 27, scoring a pair of runs in both the third and fifth innings and tacking on an insurance run in the eighth.
Kyle Gendron got the start for WSU, earning the win with six innings of work, striking out seven while only walking two and scattering Bearcat hits.
Austin Savary,
Justin Firpo and
Nicolas Herold each pitched an inning of relief, with Herold striking out the McKendree side in the bottom of the ninth for the win.
The Warrior victory saw
Zac Stange go 2-for-4 with two runs scored and
Sam Kohnle was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. WSU totaled five hits in the game, drew four walks, and left eight on base.
In WSU's second contest with McKendree on Feb. 28, the bats came alive for both teams with MU outlasting the Warriors 17-15 in a high-scoring affair.
Dillon Whittaker began on the mound for the Warriors, before yielding to
Bailey Banaszynski in the second inning. Banaszynski went three and a third innings, followed by
Justin Firpo who was tagged with the loss. Combined, the Winona State pitching staff gave up 21 hits and 17 runs, all earned.
Offensively, the Warriors nearly matched the McKendree firepower, scoring 15 runs on ten hits.
Tanner Williams and
Austin Savary both had three RBIs, with Savary going 3-for-5 and drawing a walk.
Nathan Loomis drew three walks at the plate and scored twice;
Sam Kohnle and Williams scored three times each.
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
