JOPLIN, Mo. - The Winona State University baseball team opened up their 2022 season on Monday with a doubleheader at Missouri Southern State University. Playing at Warren Turner Field, the host MSSU Lions dealt WSU a pair of setbacks, winning game one 13-1 and taking the nightcap, 15-9.
With the two schools facing off for the first time since March 29, 1979, the Lions were quick to warm up on the Warriors, scoring in the opening inning of each contest as 40-degree temperatures welcomed both teams to the diamond.
Game One
Dillon Whittaker took the hill to throw the first pitches of the 2022 campaign, but MSSU drew first blood with a pair of first-inning runs when the Lions' Jordan Fitzpatrick and Tommy Stevenson each knocked in RBI for the home team.
Whittaker went 3 1/3 innings and faced 19 batters before yielding to
Caleb Strack who closed out the fourth inning for the Warriors.
Missouri Southern went on tack on two more runs in the third inning and iced the game with a six-run fourth frame that chased middle-reliever
Nevin Wall from the contest.
John Breske threw a scoreless seventh inning for Winona State striking out one, while
Cooper Kapanke spoiled the Lion's shutout bid with a solo blast in the fifth.
Derek Baumgartner picked up a double in his first at-bat of the year, while
Jess Ondell and
Joshua Hawksford added singles in the fourth and seventh innings, respectively.
Winona State had four hits, one run and two errors total in the contest, while MSSU tagged the Warrior staff for 14 hits, 13 runs, while committing one error.
Game Two
As in game one, the Missouri Southern State strong start stung the Warriors in game two, with Henry Kusiak homering in the opening inning with a Lion on base to spot the hosts a 2-0 lead after one.
The two teams traded strong defense for the next three innings with Winona State turning a double-play in the second stanza to negate an MSSU threat and then producing another twin-kill in the third as starter
Cameron Kramer coaxed the Lions first-baseman Ryan Doran into the never-easy 3-6 double play after the Lions' Ryan Doran reached base on a HBP. Kramer went on to strike out Drew Davis to end the inning.
In the fourth, Winona State got on the board when
Jess Ondell doubled down the right-field line and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a Baumgartner walk,
Austin Beyer earned a bag by getting hit by a pitch. Kapanke reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Ondell and giving Kapanke his second RBI of the game.
The sixth inning saw Winona State come alive as they scored five runs, highlighted by a
Cooper Kapanke grand slam after Baumgartner,
Carter Brinkman and Beyer all reached base for the Warriors. Kapanke's second home run of the day narrowed the score to 8-5 Lions, and the Warriors added one more when
Dane Weiland scored off a
Mason Trocke double for an 8-6 mark after six.
Unfortunately for the Winona State, Missouri Southern State responded with a five-run seventh inning of their own and tacked on two more in the bottom of the eighth. While WSU added a pair of runs in the top of the eighth and one more in the ninth, another Kapanke home run, to move the scoreboard to 15-9, it was the final score by which Missouri Southern took game two, completing the sweep on the day.
For Winona State in the second contest,
Cooper Kapanke was 3-for-5 with an impressive six RBI and two home runs, a grand slam, and a solo shot. Ondell, Brinkman, and Trocke all doubled on the day for the Warrior offense that produced 13 hits overall.
On the mound, Kramer took the loss, going 4 and 1/3 innings, striking out five, while
Justin Firpo went 2 and 1/3 with three K's.
Nicolas Herold and
Zach Watzka both took down two batters each to close out the game.
WSU scored nine runs on 13 hits and committed one error. MSSU had 15 runs on 18 hits with two errors in the contest.
Kapanke ended the opening Warrior outing with an impressive 4-for-6 day at the plate and three home runs, including his first career grand slam for Winona State. As a team, WSU falls to 0-2 on the season while Missouri Southern State moves to 1-2.
Winona State will look to notch one in the win column on Tuesday when they faced MSSU for the third and final time on their first road trip of the year. The first pitch between the Lions and Warriors is set for 1 pm, Tuesday at Warren Turner Field in Joplin, Mo.
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
