WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University baseball team hosted their final home doubleheader of the 2022 NSIC season, welcoming the University of Sioux Falls Cougars to the cozy confines of Loughrey Field.
Prior to game one, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and Winona State Athletics honored head coach
Kyle Poock, who is retiring at the conclusion of the season. NSIC commissioner Erin Lind, Winona State president Dr. Scott Olson and WSU director of athletics
Eric Schoh each presented Poock with gifts of appreciation for his 29 years of service to Winona State University and Warrior Athletics.
With the Cougars in fifth place and Warriors in the sixth spot in the NSIC standings heading into the contests, the two games took on added importance with the postseason picture coming into focus around the league. The top eight teams from the NSIC regular season advance to the NSIC Baseball Tournament.
Game One
In the opener, Winona State battled back for a key victory over the University of Sioux Falls, dropping the Cougars, 5-4 in seven innings.
USF had plated two runs in the second inning and added a pair in the fifth, looking poised to spoil the final homestand for Poock, but the Warrior offense warmed up at just the right time.
Derek Baumgartner earned a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the fifth and scored moments later on a
Miller Wallace double.
Cooper Kapanke followed suit, hitting a double as well off the wall in right-center. WSU then used a walk to
Mason Trocke and a passed ball by USF to return to runners to scoring position.
Nick Herbst made the Cougars pay for the mistake behind the plate, singling home Kapanke to close the score to 4-3 USF.
Carter Brinkman completed the four-run inning by scoring Trocke on a ground ball to the right side of the infield.
After holding USF scoreless in the top of the sixth, Winona State's
Cooper Kapanke delivered a clutch home run, belting a solo shot over the left-field fence to break a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the frame. Kapanke's homer completed a Warrior comeback that saw WSU score the final five runs of the contest after being down 4-0.
Offensively, WSU was led by Kapanke whose home run and double were key in the victory.
Miller Wallace,
Carter Brinkman, and
Nick Herbst each collected RBI in the contest.
Nicolas Herold got the start and threw four and 1/3 innings, striking out six while walking three.
Caleb Strack came on in the fifth and held Sioux Falls scoreless in his time on the mound. Strack allowed just two hits while striking out four batters to earn the win. Strack struck out the side in the sixth and with the victory, moved to 3-1 on the year.
The Cougars scored four runs on six hits and had two miscues. Winona State scored five runs on six hits while committing one error. The 5-4 Warrior triumph pushed Winona State to four wins in their last five outings.
Game Two
In the back half of the doubleheader, the Cougars scored first, notching a run in the top of the second frame, followed by a Warrior response with a matching score in the bottom of the third to draw the teams level at 1-1.
Unfortunately, USF held Winona State scoreless the rest of the way as the Cougar pitching combination of Cole Schumacher, Logan Parker-Sjoberg and Zachary Shastay limited the Warriors to just six hits in the contest. WSU suffered eight strikeouts and did not earn a walk in the game.
Joshua Hawksford was 1-for-3 in the contest - and combined with his base hit in game one - extended his hitting streak to nine games.
Cooper Kapanke added a hit, a stolen base, and scored the lone Winona State run, while
Miller Wallace went 2-for-3.
Nick Herbst hit a double for WSU as well.
Cameron Kramer had the start for Winona State, going five innings and conceding three runs, two of which were earned.
Peter Tveite came on in the top of the sixth and went two and 2/3 innings, holding USF to just one hit and no runs.
Justin Firpo took over for Tveite to close out the seventh and was tagged with a pair of runs over that time.
Zach Watzka went the final frame for the Warriors to wrap up the contest. As a staff, WSU allowed 12 hits and three walks while striking out one USF batter.
Following the 5-1 loss, Winona State (13-21, 11-12 NSIC) now turns attention to the upcoming three-game series at Concordia - St. Paul, set for Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7.
WSU and CSP will play two on Friday, with a noon start in a seven-inning game one, followed by a nine-inning affair for game two. On Saturday, the Warriors and Golden Bears will play a single, nine-inning game starting at noon.
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.
