WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University dropped the first two games in a three-game weekend series against the University of Sioux Falls.
The Warriors were unable to bounce back after an 8-6 loss in game one of today's doubleheader. After going down 12-1 in the top of the fifth in game two, WSU rallied to bring the score to 12-5 but were unable to record any more runs, giving USF the victory.
Game 1 | WSU 6, USF 8
Jaxon Haase got the cougars on the board early in the top of the first inning with a single. Sioux Falls recorded four runs in the top of the second with doubles from Dominic Vogel, Mitch Iliff, and Ben Serie, and a single from Isaac Bonner.
Klayton Hawkins got Winona State on the board in the bottom of the second with a two-run home run over the right field wall. Answering back in the top of the third, the Cougars recorded one run with a single to right field by Nolan Drossel. Bringing the run differential to within two, the Warriors recorded two runs with a double from
Dylan Harer and a single from
Jess Ondell. WSU brought the game to within one run in the bottom of the fourth inning when
Jack Funke stole second base and
Easton Arendt stole home on the same play. Increasing the lead to two in the top of the sixth, Sioux Falls recorded one run with a single from Iliff. The Cougars recorded one more insurance run in the top of the seventh when Ryan Gouldin crossed home plate on a wild pitch. Winona State was unable to answer back in the final at-bats of the game, giving the Cougars the 8-6 victory in game one.
Game 2 | WSU 5, USF 12
Vogel got Sioux Falls on the board early in the top of the first inning when he crossed home plate on a wild pitch. The Cougars scored two more runs in the top of the first with a single to left field from Gouldin, allowing two runners to score. Increasing the lead in the top of the second, USF recorded three runs with singles from Iliff and Bonner, and Iliff scoring from third on an error. Winona State got on the board in the bottom of the third when
Cole Fuecker singled up the middle back to the pitcher, allowing
Garrett Hietpas to cross home plate. Sioux Falls added six insurance runs in the top of the fifth inning with singles from Jackson Yeager and Drossel, back-to-back triples from Vogel and Iliff, and a double to right field from Bonner. The Warriors got some runs back in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs with singles from
Adam Wall and
Josh Gullickson. WSU recorded one more run in the bottom of the ninth when Gullickson scored from third on a wild pitch. Winona State was unable to put together any more runs in the bottom of the ninth, granting Sioux Falls the 12-5 victory in game two.
Individual Leaders:
- In game one, Harer led WSU in hits with two. Harer and Hawkins led the team in RBIs each with two. George Henkel led Winona State on the mound, pitching 3.0 innings and striking out three batters.
- In game two, Fuecker led WSU in hits with three. Gullickson led the team in RBIs with two. Logan LeTourneau led Winona State on the mound, pitching 3.2 innings and striking out one batter.
Team Comparison:
- Winona State collected a total of 67 at-bats, 19 hits, nine RBIs, and 11 runs.
- Sioux Falls collected a total of 74 at-bats, 26 hits, 17 RBIs, and 20 runs.
- The Warriors as a team recorded a batting average of .438 on balls in play in game one and .357 in game two.
- The Cougars as a team recorded a batting average of .556 on balls in play in game one and .314 in game two.
Winona State University is next in action on Sunday, April 27th, when they finish out the three-game weekend series against the University of Sioux Falls. Sunday's contest is set for 12:00pm at Loughrey Field in Winona, Minn.
