DULUTH, Minn. - A stellar two-hit performance by starting pitcher
Cameron Kramer set the tone for the Winona State baseball team on Wednesday, as the Warriors collected two important wins on the road at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Winona State beat Minnesota Duluth 7-1 in game one and the Warriors took game two 10-9, earning a pair of league victories at Bulldog Park. The two wins allowed WSU to keep pace with the University of Sioux Falls, as USF and Winona State sit tied for eighth in the league standings.
Game 1: Winona State 7, UMD 1 | Cameron Kramer pitched an impressive game for Winona State in the opening contest, holding Minnesota Duluth to just two hits, a single in the first inning and another base hit in the third. Kramer struck out five, walked two, and moved to 4-3 on the year.
WSU used a four-run fifth inning to pull away from UMD. A trio of singles, one each by
Jack Funke,
Jess Ondell and
Mason Trocke, and a double by
Cole Fuecker, drove in four runners in the game-changing frame. Defensively, Winona State turned in a flawless performance in the field while also executing a key double play in the third inning after the Bulldogs appeared poised to overtake a Winona State 2-0 lead heading into the frame.
Game 2: Winona State 10, UMD 9 | In sharp contrast to game one, WSU utilized seven pitchers to earn the nightcap victory, with
Peyton Lee ultimately earning the win. Lee put together two impressive innings of work, holding UMD to just one hit across the 10th and 11th innings after the Bulldogs rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth to force the extra frames. The Warrior pitching contingent yielded 13 hits and nine runs, eight of which were earned. Winona State struck out 11 Bulldog batters with Lee striking out the home side in the bottom of the 10th.
Offensively, Winona State was paced by
Cole Fuecker who had two home runs in the contest, while
Mason Trocke and
Joshua Hawksford each added a homer to the Warrior scoreline. Fuecker racked up four RBI in the game and Trocke added two. Winona State had a 9-7 advantage heading into the bottom of the ninth but the Bulldogs rallied with two outs to score two runs and knot the contest at 9-9 following nine innings.
Winona State (17-25, 14-18 NSIC) will travel to the University of Sioux Falls for a three-game series on April 27-28. WSU and USF are set for a 1:30 p.m. start time on Saturday in Sioux Falls.
