MAUSTON, Wis. - The Winona State University baseball team took on the University of Minnesota-Crookston in an NSIC doubleheader at the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston, Wis. on Tuesday, March 21.
When the dust settled, the Warriors earned a split with the Golden Eagles, beating UMC 4-3 in walk-off fashion in game one but falling in game two, 15-0.
Winona State 4, Minnesota-Crookston 3
After six innings of a closely-contested pitcher's duel, a
Cooper Kapanke double decided the opener between UMC and WSU.
Winona State starting pitcher
Peyton Lee threw six strong innings, striking out six and walking only two. Lee scattered seven hits over his six frames and held UMC scoreless after a three-run outburst in the second inning. Lee's Golden Eagle counterpart, Josh Dykhoff, dealt the Warriors an equally-adept array of pitches over four innings, holding the Warriors to just one, second-inning run. Dykhoff helped his own cause with a home run in the second inning, one of three UMC runs that frame.
WSU drew level in the game when
Cooper Kapanke singled to center with the bases loaded, scoring
Mason Trocke and
Kyle Yu to knot the score at three runs apiece.
After Kapanke's key hit, the two teams traded singles and a handful of base-running mistakes but were unable to break the 3-3 deadlock.
In the seventh inning, things changed.
WSU's
Cole Stanchina entered the game and earned the first out on a fly ball to left field. Then,
Chandler Schmidt relieved Stanchina and struck out the Golden Eagles' Mike Hallquist. UMC's Paxton Nelson - attempting to steal second on the play - was subsequently ruled out on batter interference. The opportunistic double play would yield results minutes later.
In the bottom of the seventh, WSU's
Mason Trocke earned his way aboard after being hit by a pitch. With one out,
Cooper Kapanke delivered a double deep to left center, scoring Trocke and setting off a Warrior dugout celebration with the walk-off 4-3 Warrior win.
The Winona State triumph snapped a three-game skid against the Golden Eagles; WSU's last win over Minnesota-Crookston was a 7-1 victory on March 30, 2018.
Minnesota-Crookston 15, Winona State 0
Game two of the UMC-WSU series was decidedly one-sided, with the Golden Eagles pulling away late for a 15-0 win over Winona State.
What was a 4-0 ballgame after four quickly escalated across the sixth and seventh innings, as Minnesota Crookston scored five runs in that time period to eventually take the NSIC win in game two, preventing the Warrior sweep. A six-run final frame by the Golden Eagles ended the contest after eight innings with a 15-0 scoreline.
Winona State's
Peter Tveite took the loss for the Warriors, while UMC's Matt Nelson claimed the win. Overall, WSU was held scoreless on five hits and committed three errors.
Kyle Yu collected two base hits in the game for Winona State.
Next up for Winona State will be the Wolves of Northern State University. WSU and NSU are scheduled to face off on Saturday, March 25. Due to weather and field conditions in Aberdeen, South Dakota, fans, followers and families of Warrior baseball are encouraged to follow Winona State Twitter and Facebook feeds for timely updates.
