EMPORIA, Kan. – The Winona State University softball team hit the road for the first time in the 2022-23 season, competing in a weather-altered Emporia State University Classic on Saturday, Feb. 19 and Sunday, Feb. 20.
Winona State squared off against four different opponents at three different sites around the Topeka, Kansas metro area, coming away with a 3-1 weekend mark.
Winona State defeated Quincy University 6-4 and Emporia State 11-2 in five innings to open play on Saturday. On Sunday, WSU rallied back to beat Northwest Missouri State 5-4 before seeing their season-opening winning streak end with a 9-0 setback to Washburn University.
WSU moves to 5-1 on the 2023 season; read on for more detail of each contest.
Winona State 6, Quincy University 4
WSU won the first-ever meeting of the two teams, racking up five runs in the first two innings of play. Quincy would rally to close the game to 5-2 in the third inning, but Winona State would take advantage of a Hawk throwing error in the fifth to plate a sixth run and hold off a QU surge in sixth inning to eventually win, 6-4.
Abbie Hlas went the distance in the circle, striking out six while walking three. Hlas scattered five hits over seven innings, conceding four runs, three of which were earned. The NSIC Preseason Player of the Year helped herself at the plate as well, going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
Teaghen Amwoza collected three RBI in the game, including a two-run single through the right side that proved to be the difference in the ballgame.
Carly Engelhardt,
Libby Neveau,
Ashlee Chantos and
Corinna Loshek all collected hits in the contest; Engelhardt also drew two walks.
Winona State 11, Emporia State 2 (5-innings)
Abby Smith and the Warrior defense shut down the host Emporia State offense, holding the Hornets to a pair of first-inning runs. Smith struck out five and allowed just one earned run in picking up her second win of the season.
Smith saw catcher
Cammi Riemer throw out a potential ESU base-stealer in the bottom of the fourth inning to defuse a potential rally and the Warriors produced ten hits in the game.
Marissa Mullen led WSU by going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a walk. The Warriors collected just one extra-base hit in the game – a double from
Abbie Hlas – but found small-ball to their liking, racking up five runs in the first inning and six in the third frame to cruise to the five-inning win.
The victory pushed Winona State's all-time mark against Emporia State to 3-2, dating back to 2015 and avenged a 3-1 ESU win over Winona State in the 2018 NCAA Division II Central Region tournament.
Winona State 5, Northwest Missouri State 4
After going down 2-0 in the second inning, Winona State rallied to defeat Northwest Missouri State 5-4 in the third game of the 2023 Emporia State Classic.
Playing from behind for the first time this year, WSU saw
Carly Engelhardt hit a three-run homer to left field to jump start the Warrior offense. Engelhardt's homer came after
Savannah Serdynski singled and
Abbie Hlas doubled to open the inning.
Winona State would maintain the narrow 3-2 lead over the next two and ½ innings before adding two more runs to the Warrior total when
Teaghen Amwoza doubled in Engelhardt and Serdynski with a drive down the left field line in the top of the sixth.
NWMS would score two runs in the bottom of the sixth to close to within one at 5-4, but
Abby Smith – on in relief – would see the Warrior defense turn a game-ending double play to seal the victory.
Washburn University 9, Winona State 0 (5-innings)
Host Washburn opened up an early 7-run lead in dealing the Warriors their first setback of the 2023 season, beating Winona State 9-0 in five innings.
The Ickabods scored two runs in the first inning and added five more in the second, while holding Winona State to three hits in the game.
WSU had three players tally one hit apiece;
Abbie Hlas,
Jaden Johnson and
Ashlee Chantos each singled, while
Carly Engelhardt and
Libby Neveau both drew a base on balls.
Morgan Smetana took the loss for Winona State, going one and 1/3 innings before giving way to
Skyler Calmes in the second inning. Calmes threw two and 2/3's to close out the contest.
WSU left five runners stranded and suffered eight strikeouts at the hands of Washburn's Jaycee Ginter.
Winona State (5-1 overall, 0-0 NSIC) will move back indoors in their next scheduled action, as WSU will take part in the Lewis University Dome Tournament, beginning Friday, Feb. 24. The Warriors will play two games on Friday, one Saturday and two more on Sunday.
