WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University baseball team earned a split at home against the University of Mary on Friday, April 7, taking game one in exciting, walk-off fashion but suffering from cold bats in the nightcap.
A
Nick Herbst homer saw WSU pull level with the Marauders in their final at-bats of game one and
Steele Beatty beat UMary with an RBI single to score
Mason Trocke for the dramatic 5-4 Warrior win. In game two, the Marauders tagged Winona State for 14 hits, dealing the Warriors a 15-3 setback in eight innings.
Winona State 5, UMary 4
WSU and UMary were deadlocked at 1-1 through two innings before the Marauders added three runs to take a 4-1 lead midway through the fourth frame. However, Winona State earned a run back in the bottom of the fourth and then scored three in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with a Warrior win.
Down 4-2 and facing their final three outs, Winona State started a late-game rally through
Dane Weiland, as the junior catcher's single put a Warrior aboard early on.
Nathan Osborne would pinch run for Weiland and score moments later with
Nick Herbst homered over the right field wall in Loughrey Field, tying the game at 4-4. Following a groundout,
Mason Trocke earned a walk and then advanced on a
Derek Baumgartner single to right field.
Cooper Kapanke advanced Trocke to third with a fielders choice, setting the stage for
Steele Beatty to deliver with two outs and the game on the line. Beatty did just that, slicing a single to right field on the first pitch of his plate appearance, scoring Trocke and igniting a celebration in the Warrior dugout with the 5-4 victory.
Beatty's base hit capped a solid Warrior outing, as starting pitcher
Justin Firpo held UMary to four runs on six hits in 6 & 2/3s innings of work. Firpo struck out three and only allowed two earned runs, with the other pair of Marauder tallies coming off of Warrior miscues.
Cole Stanchina came on in the top of the seventh with a pair of UMary runners on base and was able to exit the inning without conceding a run and earned the victory following the WSU success in the bottom half of the inning.
WSU's
Derek Baumgartner continued his torrid pace at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a run scored, while
Steele Beatty and
Nick Herbst both were multi-hit Warriors, with each collecting a pair of base hits in the victory. In addition to his game-tying home run, Herbst also stole a base while
Kyle Yu and
Mason Trocke collected the only walks for WSU against UMary starter Halen Knoll, who went six and 2/3's innings in the loss.
UMary 15, Winona State 3
Despite the exciting finish to game one for Winona State, a doubleheader sweep was not in the cards for the Warriors, as the University of Mary scored early and scored late to beat WSU, 15-3.
UMary found themselves up 5-2 after three innings of play and would hold Winona State to just one more run - an
Austin Beyer solo homer in the sixth - en route to salvaging the split.
Winona State starting pitcher
Drew Lingen threw five and 2/3's before yielding to
Nathan Platter, one of three relievers WSU would use in the game.
Jaden Schwantz and
Boyd Skelley both saw time on the mound for Winona State, as a pair of errors in the WSU infield led to a handful of Maurader runs. The Warrior pitching staff combined for four strikeouts while conceding 14 hits.
Offensively,
Derek Baumgartner and
Kyle Yu led the Warrior way with a pair of standout performances at the plate. In the leadoff spot, Yu went 3-for-5 while Baumgartner was 3-for-4 and scored a run. Baumgartner was joined by
Cooper Kapanke,
Steele Beatty, and
Mason Trocke in the stolen base department; both Trocke and Kapanke reached base after being hit by a pitch as well.
Following the split, the two teams will meet on Saturday, April 8 in the rubber match of the series. The Marauders and Warriors are set to face off at noon in the cozy confines of Loughrey Field.
