ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Winona State University earned a hard-fought victory over St. Cloud State University in today's second game to earn a doubleheader split.
The Warriors bounced back after a 5-4 loss in game one to defeat the Huskies 17-13 in game two.
Game 1 | WSU 4, SCSU 5
Blaine Guthrie got St Cloud State on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly to center field. Adding three runs to the lead in the bottom of the second, the Huskies took a 4-0 lead with a single from Hayden Konkol and a two-run home run from Liam Moreno. Increasing the lead by one run, SCSU scored off a solo home run by Wyatt Tweet. Winona State got on the board in the top of the fifth inning when
Cole Fuecker was walked with the bases loaded, allowing
Ryland Wall to cross home plate. The Warriors were able to bring the lead to within one run in the top of the seventh when they crossed home plate three times on a solo home run by
Klayton Hawkins and a two-run home run by Fuecker. Winona State was unable to gather any more runs in the top of the seventh inning, granting St Cloud State the victory.
Game 2 | WSU 17, SCSU 13
Tweet got the Huskies on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a ground-out RBI. St. Cloud State added one more run in the bottom of the first with a solo home run from Ethan Navratil. SCSU added one more run to the lead in the bottom of the second and three more in the bottom of the third, with a solo home run from Taehyung Kim, a single from Tweet, and sacrifice flies from Tweet and Guthrie. Winona State got on the board in the top of the fourth inning and tied the contest at six runs apiece with a two-run home run from
Dylan Harer, a triple from Hawkins, a single from
Max Pederson, a ground-out RBI from
Jack Funke, allowing Pederson to score from third, and
Joshua Hawksford crossing home plate on a wild pitch. Taking the lead back in the bottom of the fourth, the Huskies recorded two runs on a solo home run from Konkol and a single from Eric Bello. Answering back in the top of the fifth, WSU recorded one run with a solo home run from Harer. Recording seven runs in the top of the sixth, Winona State took the lead with singles from Fuecker, R. Wall, Pederson, Funke, and Hawkins being walked with the bases loaded, allowing R. Wall to cross home plate, and Hawksford reaching on a fielder's choice, allowing
Josh Gullickson to score from third. St. Cloud State brought the game to within three runs in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run from Wilmis Castro and a two-run home run from Ethan Krueger. Winona State added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth with a three-run home run from R. Wall. The Huskies were able to gather two more runs in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run from Navratil and a sacrifice fly from Reid Tigges, but were unable to gather any more runs, granting Winona State the victory.
Individual Leaders:
- In game one, the Warriors had seven batters each with one hit. Fuecker led the team in RBIs with three. Nathan Vela led Winona State on the mound, pitching 6.0 innings and striking out eight batters.
- In game two, Fuecker, R. Wall, and Harer led the Warriors in hits, each with three. R. Wall led the team in RBIs with five. Cole Stanchina led Winona State on the mound, pitching 4.1 innings and striking out one batter. Due to his efforts on the mound, Stanchina received his third win of the season.
Team Comparison:
- Winona State collected a total of 69 at-bats, 23 hits, 20 RBIs, and 21 runs.
- St. Cloud State collected a total of 63 at-bats, 24 hits, 17 RBIs, and 18 runs.
- The Warriors as a team recorded a batting average of .333 on balls in play in game one and .419 in game two.
- The Huskies as a team recorded a batting average of .286 on balls in play in game one and .353 in game two.
Winona State University is next in action on Friday, May 2nd, when they kick off a three-game weekend series against Wayne State College, ending on Saturday, May 3rd. Friday's doubleheader is set for 12:00pm and 2:00pm, and Saturday's game is set for 12:00pm. All games will be played at the Pete Chapman Baseball and Softball Complex in Wayne, Neb.
