SIOUX FALLS - The Winona State University baseball team battled back to earn a split against Northern State in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) doubleheader played at the Sanford Sports Complex on Friday, March 15.
Winona State fell in game one 11-2 to the Wolves but the Warrior bats came alive late in game two, as WSU would use two home runs in the late innings to earn a 9-7 win in the nightcap.
Game 1: Northern State 11, Winona State 2 | A 7-run fourth inning paced Northern State to a 11-2 win over WSU, as the Warrior offense was slow to get warmed up in a wind-swept Sanford Sports Complex. Winona State jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a
Alex Berreth sacrifice fly that scored
Kyle Yu, but Northern State used the middle innings to deal WSU a series-opening loss. Warrior started
Peter Tveite would take the loss, going 3 and 1/3 innings and yielding six runs, just three of which were earned.
Cole Stanchina and
Boyd Skelley both made brief relief appearances before giving way to
Peyton Lee who threw the final three frames. Lee struck out four and allowed just two hits in the contest.
Kyle Yu was the only multi-hit Warrior in game one, collecting a double among his two base hits.
Game 2: Winona State 9, Northern State 7 | NSU scored first in the top of the second but WSU answered back quickly when
Austin Beyer drove in
Ryland Wall to knot the game at 1-1. The Wolves would go on to post two runs in the third and three more in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead. Winona State would see Northern State score once more in the top of the sixth but the Warriors answered the bell when
Austin Beyer belted a solo home run to push the scoreboard to 7-3.
The Warrior comeback commenced when
Cole Fuecker would hit a solo home run in the sixth and then add an RBI double later on. Fuecker capped an impressive day at the plate with his second home run of the contest to tive WSU a 8-7 lead in the eighth. Warrior teammate
Alex Berreth would add an insurance solo homer moments later to give WSU a 9-7 lead. On the mound,
Theo Giedd came on in the seventh and took advantage of the Warrior run support to collect the win.
Mason Beltrand earned a save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close the door on the Wolves for the Warrior win.
Winona State (5-11, 2-4 NSIC) and Northern State (7-9, 2-4 NSIC) will square off again tomorrow, Saturday, March 16, in a Noon / 3:30 p.m. doubleheader in Sioux Falls.
