JOPLIN, Mo. - The Winona State University baseball team scored the first two runs of the contest and the final five but gave up 20 in between to Missouri Southern State University in an offensive game on Tuesday, Feb. 8. MSSU held off the late Winona State rally to dispatch the Warriors, 20-12.
Playing against each other for the third time in two days, Winona State and Missouri Southern continued the theme of high scoring affairs, as the squads combined for 38 runs in a doubleheader the day before.
For the second time in three games,
Derek Baumgartner hit a double in his first at bat, and in this instance, scored
Jess Ondell who drew a walk moments earlier.
Austin Beyer then drove in Baumgartner with a single to left field, providing Winona State a 2-0 lead after the top of the first. Unfortunately, the Lions responded with a five-run bottom of the inning, thanks in large part to a Tommy Stevenson home run with two aboard.
Up 5-2 heading into the third inning, MSSU went on to add 10 more runs over the course of the middle stages of the game, stretching their lead on the scoreboard to 15-2 after five.
Carter Brinkman hit a solo shot to right in the sixth inning, his first home run of the season and in the seventh, Winona State rallied to double their three runs to six. A pair of Warrior walks put
Dane Weiland and
Josh Gullickson on board and Ondell drove both home with a single to center. Baumgartner drew the third free pass of the inning, moving Ondell on to second, from where he scored when a Brinkman single scored him.
MSSU answered with a five-run bottom of the seventh, as the Lions stacked up a triple, two doubles and three singles to flood the bases over the course of ten total plate appearances. Two Warrior wild pitches helped the MSSU cause, but
John Breske stepped in to stop Lion's momentum, striking out Stevenson to end the inning. At 20-6, Winona State was held scoreless in the eighth, but the ninth inning saw a spark for WSU.
With one out, Baumgarter added to his impressive opening games with a solo home run to left field. A
Blake Kretovics walk continued the Winona State momentum and
Kyle Poock's team went on to score five more runs in their final at-bats of the game.
Dane Weiland hit the second grand slam of the trip for the Warriors, matching teammate
Cooper Kapanke who hit one the day before. While the offensive onslaught doubled the Warriors run total to 12, the damage had been done and Missouri Southern State completed the sweep over Winona State, 20-12.
On the mound,
Bailey Banaszynski took the loss, going two and 1/3 innings before giving way to
Caleb Strack who went through the fourth frame.
Zach Watzka,
Nicolas Herold, and
Nathan Platter all threw one inning each, with both Charlie Stetson and Breske making brief appearances. The Warrior staff struck out nine, walked nine, facing 53 batters in total. Missouri Southern State went through six pitchers, with Jacob Davis picking up the win for MSSU (3-1, 0-0 MIAA).
Dane Weiland led WSU, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a double, racking up four RBI.
Austin Beyer was 2-for-5, driving in two runs, while
Carter Brinkman and
Derek Baumgartner were both 2-for-4 as well.
Winona State (0-3, 0-0 NSIC) is next in action on Friday, Feb. 18 when they play at Drury University, in the first of three, nine-inning contests set for the weekend. Opening pitch in Ozark, Mo. is set for 3pm at U.S. Baseball Park.
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.
