WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State baseball team split today's doubleheader against conference opponent, Bemidji State University.
In the top of the seventh inning of the first contest, the Warriors cut into the Beavers' lead with a home run from
Josh Gullickson but were unable to match the scoring differential. BSU would go on to win 6-1. In the day's second contest, WSU added two more runs to make it 12-1 in the top of the seventh inning with a triple from
Connor Weed and a ground-out RBI from
Dylan Harer, allowing Weed to cross home plate. With Bemidji State unable to answer back in the bottom of the seventh, Winona State took home the commanding 12-1 victory.
Game 1 | WSU 1, BSU 6
The Beavers recorded the first runs of the contest with a two-run home run from Zach Evenson and a sacrifice bunt from Matt Filippi, allowing Hunter Hyden to score from third. BSU added one run to their lead in the bottom of the third inning with a single from Noah Drusch. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Bemidji State added two more runs with a double from Hyden. In their final at-bats of the contest, Winona State cut into the lead with a solo home run from Gullickson. The Warriors were unable to record any more runs in the top of the seventh, allowing the Beavers to win the first contest 6-1.
Game 2 | WSU 12, BSU 1
Winona State took a one-run lead early in the top of the first with a single from
Garrett Hietpas. In the bottom of the second inning, the Warriors added five runs to their lead with a two-run home run from
Jack Funke and singles from
Cole Fuecker, Hietpas, and Harer. Increasing their lead to seven and then eight, WSU added two runs in the top of the third and fourth innings with a single from
Easton Arendt and a double from
Max Pederson. In the bottom of the fourth inning, BSU got on the board with a solo home run from M. Filippi. Adding more insurance runs to their already commanding lead, Winona State in the top of the sixth inning recorded two runs with two solo home runs from Harer and
Ryland Wall. In their next at-bats, the Warriors increased the lead to 11 runs with a triple from Weed and a ground-out RBI from Harer, allowing Weed to cross home plate. With Bemidji State unable to answer back in the bottom of the seventh inning, WSU took home the dominating 12-1 victory.
Individual Leaders:
- In game one, Payton Beyer led Winona State in batting average on balls in play with .500. Gullickson led the Warriors in total bases with four. Jess Ondell and Gullickson led WSU in quality at-bats with two. Boyd Skelley led Winona State on the mound, pitching 4.0 innings and recording five strikeouts.
- In game two, Josh Hatano, R. Wall, and Weed led the Warriors in batting average on balls in play with 1.000. R. Wall, Funke, and Harer led WSU in total bases with five. Hatano, R. Wall, and Harer led Winona State in quality at-bats with three. Wesley Johnson led the Warriors on the mound, pitching 7.0 innings, recording four strikeouts. After pitching a complete game, Johnson received his first win of the season.
Team Comparison:
- Winona State collected a total of 67 plate appearances, 17 hits, 13 RBIs, and 13 runs.
- Bemidji State collected a total of 56 plate appearances, 13 hits, seven RBIs, and seven runs.
- The Warriors as a team recorded a batting average of .091 on balls in play in game one and .480 in game two.
- The Beavers as a team recorded a batting average of .375 on balls in play in game one and .227 in game two.
Winona State is next in action on Friday, April 4th, when they hit the road to begin a four-game weekend series against NSIC opponent, the University of Minnesota Crookston. The first pitch of Friday's contest is set for 1:30pm in Crookston, Minn.
