Sioux Falls, S.D. - The Winona State University baseball team beat the University of Sioux Falls 9 - 6 on Sunday to move to 21-14 overall and 18-12 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
USF scored six runs on the Warriors for the third-successive game, but unlike Saturday, WSU was able to hang a bigger number on the scoreboard than the Cougars, thanks in part to a
Nathan Loomis inside-the-park home run and
Sam Kohnle four RBI day at the plate. The inside-the-park round tripper is thought to be the first of that variety in over 20 years of Warrior baseball.
Dillon Whittaker got the start and went five and one-third innings for the Warriors, striking out three along the way.
Mitchell Mueller,
Justin Firpo and
Peter Tveite all saw time in relief of Whittaker, and as a staff, conceded seven hits and seven walks overall.
Winona State scored in six of the game's nine innings, with a three-run second stanza followed by a two-run third inning providing the bulk of the scoring. Winona State was up 8-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth when the USF offense showed signs of life, putting four runs on the board after a wild pitch scored one baserunner and a Cougar home run added three more.
Although Sioux Falls added a solo home run again in the eighth inning and scored an unearned tally on another wild pitch in the ninth, WSU was able to hang on for the win. An insurance run scored by
Austin Savary on a Loomis single helped the Warriors maintain their lead late in the game.
As a team, Winona State racked up 10 hits, including two doubles for
Sam Kohnle, who also had a sacrifice fly in the contest.
Tanner Williams and
Austin Savary had doubles as well, and Loomis' home run was his first of the year, a notable part of his 3-for-5 day at the plate.
Savary had a stolen base for WSU, while Warrior backstop
Dane Weiland threw out USF's Tyler Cate attempting to steal in the bottom of the first. Whittaker was credited with the win, his second of the season.
Winona State is scheduled to return to action on Wednesday, May 5 in a NSIC doubleheader at Concordia - St. Paul. First pitch is set for 1:30pm.
Currently the Warriors are in sixth in the NSIC at 18-12, with five conference games remaining on the regular season schedule. After Wednesday's road trip north to CSP, Winona State will welcome the nationally ranked and league-leading Minnesota State - Mankato Mavericks to the cozy confines of Loughrey Field on Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8.
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.
