WAYNE, Neb. - Sitting sixth in the NSIC baseball standings heading into the day, Winona State played against Wayne State College on the road in two key conference games on Wednesday, April 27.
While WSU had a setback in game one to the Wildcats, falling 5-3, the Warriors battled back in the nightcap to earn a split with a 6-3 victory.
Game One
Winona State struck first in game one, with
Austin Beyer doubling to center field, scoring
Nick Herbst who had reached on a walk and stole second base to get into scoring position.
Wayne State responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the first frame, but WSU retook the lead when
Mason Trocke hit a double to right field, driving in
Joshua Hawksford who had doubled moments before.
Both teams were scoreless in the third inning but in the bottom of the fourth frame, things changed.
The Wildcats parlayed a single and double from their first two batters of the inning into a game-tying run at 2-2, and then took advantage of an error in the Warrior infield to score two more.
The score remained 4-2 in favor of Wayne State until the top of the sixth when Hawksford collected his second hit of the game and then scored on an RBI fielder's choice ground ball by
Derek Baumgartner. Unfortunately, Winona State left a pair of runners on base to end the inning and the rally.
Wayne State proceeded to tack on a fifth run in the sixth inning and held Winona State scoreless in the top of the seventh, ending the game.
In the 5-3 setback,
Joshua Hawksford extended his hitting streak to six games, while
Austin Beyer,
Miller Wallace and
Carter Brinkman had two hits each in the contest. Baumgartner's RBI double pushed him to the team lead in RBI with 20 on the season, while
Nick Herbst remained perfect in the stolen base category with his fourth successful swipe in as many tries.
Dillon Whittaker started the contest for Winona State and went four full innings, conceding five hits and four runs, three of which were earned.
Caleb Strack pitched the final two frames, striking out four and giving up one run. Whittaker took the loss, while the Wildcat tandem of Jackson Shelburne and Andrew Staebell earned a win and a save, respectively.
The Wayne State victory in game one halted the Warrior winning streak over the Wildcats at three straight.
Game Two
Winona State racked up a season-best base hit mark in game two against WSC and saw a collection of four Warrior arms combine to hold on for an important 6-3 victory in the nightcap.
WSU scored the first two runs of the game, plating one runner in both the first and third frame of the nine-inning contest.
Nick Herbst got the Warriors off to a good start in the first inning, hitting a single and then stealing second base moments later.
Carter Brinkman scored Herbst with a base hit to right field.
With two out in the third,
Joshua Hawksford extended his hitting streak to seven and then scored a Warrior run when Brinkman brought him home on a single.
The Wayne State offense warmed up in the fourth inning when the Wildcats got on the scoreboard with a run and then added two more in the seventh to take a 3-2 lead over the Warriors.
In the eighth,
Derek Baumgartner stepped up at a key moment for Winona State, hitting a single to left field and scoring
Austin Beyer to tie the game at 3-3. Then,
Ryland Wall followed up Baumgartner's RBI with one of his own, pulling a ball down the left-field line for a base hit, scoring
Dane Weiland.
Winona State added some insurance runs in the top of the ninth, as Brinkman belted a single to right and picked up his second RBI of the game, scoring
Joshua Hawksford. Brinkman scored a short time later when Weiland doubled to the corner in left, completing the push from WSU for a 6-3 scoreline heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Peter Tveite took the mound in the bottom half of the final frame and quickly left no doubt as to the outcome of the contest, striking out two the final three Wildcat batters he faced and ending the game with a fly ball to right. The 1-2-3 outing saw Tviete earn a save for his efforts, while
Justin Firpo got the win.
Overall, the Warrior staff saw starter
Bailey Banaszynski go five innings, striking out five batters and conceding two runs.
Kyle Gendron came on in the sixth and faced four hitters, holding the Wildcats scoreless in his time on the mound. Firpo's win moved his season mark to 2-1 while Tveite's save was his second of the 2022 campaign.
Wayne State wasted a strong effort from starter Ryan Obrecht who went seven innings and was tagged for two Winona State runs. His reliever, Jacob Kneifl took the loss for the Wildcats.
The Warriors were led by
Carter Brinkman who was 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Wall, Weiland, Beyer, Hawksford and Herbst all collected two base hits in the contest. WSU had a team season-high three stolen bases in the game and the 14 hits set a new season-best mark, surpassing the 13 hits versus Missouri Southern on February 7.
In the game, WSU scored six runs on 14 hits and committed two errors. Wayne State scored three runs on five hits and had one miscue.
Winona State moves to 12-20 overall and 10-11 in NSIC play. The Warriors will enjoy a rare weekend off before hosting the University of Sioux Falls on Tuesday, May 3 in a doubleheader at Loughrey Field. First pitch between the Warriors and Cougars is set for 1:30 p.m.
