WINONA, Minn. – Winona State baseball split a doubleheader with the Northern State Wolves after a 6-3 win in game one behind a huge three-run home run from
Dylan Harer.
Game one was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth with two outs when Harer launched a three-run blast to right field, helping WSU to a 6-3 win. In game two, Winona State fell behind 9-2, heading to the bottom of the eighth. The Warriors responded with a momentum-shifting eight-runs to take a 10-9 edge into the ninth. Northern State responded with three runs in the top of the ninth to make it 12-10. Winona State's comeback attempt fell short at 12-11 in game two.
Game One: WSU (6) – NSU (3)
Northern State jumped up 1-0 after a run in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first, WSU tied it 1-1 after
Payton Kohnle scored on a wild pitch. Later in the frame,
Connor Weed plated
Jack Funke on a single, making it 2-1.
NSU knotted the game up 2-2 with a run in the second. A sacrifice fly from Harer made it 3-2 WSU after two innings. A solo blast from the Wolves tied the contest back up at 3-3 in the top of the third.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth when Harer blasted a two-out, three-run homer to right center to grow the Warriors' edge to 6-3. WSU closed the door in the seventh to earn the 6-3 NSIC victory.
Harer led Winona State with two hits and four RBI while
Josh Hatano went 2-for-2.
Sawyer Hoffman drew the start, going 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs.
Boyd Skelley tossed a scoreless inning with
Max Strecker (4-1) earning the win. Strecker went 1.2 frames, giving up zero runs with two punchouts.
Game Two: NSU (12) – WSU (11)
Winona State struck first with a
Klayton Hawkins solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. The Wolves responded with a three-spot in the third, making it 3-1. Northern State extended their lead to 4-1 after a solo homer in the fifth.
NSU tacked on three runs in the seventh, adding to a 7-1 edge. Winona State chipped away with a run in the seventh after an RBI groundout from Hatano scored Hawkins. Northern State expanded their advantage to 9-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, Hawkins tightened the deficit to 9-3 on an RBI single, scoring
Ben Hefel.
Cal Casper followed that up with an RBI single, plating
Landon Zeuli, to cut it to 9-4. A sacrifice fly from
Connor Greuel put the game at 9-5 after
Easton Arendt crossed home. Kohnle kept the rally going with a bases loaded walk, dropping the margin to 9-6. A two-RBI single from Harer made it a one run game at 9-8. Back-to-back wild pitches gave the Warriors a 10-9 lead ending the miraculous eight-run inning.
Northern State responded with a three-run ninth inning, capped off by a go-ahead two-run home run to regain the lead at 12-10. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Hawkins poked his second homer of the game to cut the game to 12-11. Winona State struck out to end the potential comeback bid.
Hawkins was tremendous in game two, going 4-for-4 with four runs, three RBI, and two home runs. Five other Warriors recorded a hit, while Harer plated two in the loss.
Hunter Guenther earned the start, going 4.0 innings, allowing three earned runs while fanning five.
Eli Babler (2-4) took the loss, tossing 1.0 innings, giving up four earned runs with two strikeouts.
Winona State (24-24, 19-16 NSIC) wraps up the regular season with the series finale on Saturday, May 2 against the Wolves. First pitch starts at 12:00pm for Alumni Day.
