Wayne, Neb. — Winona State posted a pair of Northern Sun Conference baseball wins Friday afternoon over Wayne State at Loughery Field in Winona, Minnesota by scores of 6-1 and 9-5. WSC stays in fifth place in the NSIC at 25-21 overall and 20-16 in the NSIC while Winona State is ninth place at 18-20 in the league and 21-27 overall
Hits were at a premium in the opener as the Wildcats were held to just four hits in a 6-1 loss to the Warriors.
Winona State opened the scoring with a pair of unearned runs in the first frame for a 2-0 lead.
WSC got on the scoreboard in the second when senior Kyler Essink doubled and scored on a single by Kaden Young to cut the Winona State lead to 2-1.
The Warriors then scored four runs in the third on three hits and a pair of Wildcat walks to take a 6-1 advantage.
WSC had just two more hits the rest of the game – singles by Cade Lynam in the fifth and seventh innings – as the Warriors ended with a 6-1 win.
Winona State had six hits to four by the Wildcats. Cade Lynam was 2 for 3 with a pair of singles. Essink doubled and Young had an RBI single.
Junior Jackson Shelburne (2-4) suffered the loss in five innings of work. He was charged with six runs on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks. Braden Sweet pitched a perfect sixth inning in relief.
The second game saw the host Warriors score five runs in the final two innings to outlast the Wildcats 9-5.
Young opened the scoring for WSC in the second inning with a solo homer putting the ‘Cats ahead 1-0.
Winona State tied the game with a solo run in the fourth and added three more in the fifth for a 4-1 cushion.
The ‘Cats tied the score in the top of the seventh with three runs at 4-4. Colin Lynam had a two-run single while Chase Douglas added an RBI single for key hits in the inning.
Wayne State’s comeback was short-lived as Winona State regained the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 7-4 lead.
WSC got one run back in the eighth, making the score 7-5, as Quinn McCafferty’s RBI single brought home Cade Lynam, who singled. But the Warriors added two insurance runs in the eighth and beat the ‘Cats 9-5.
Winona State held a 16-15 edge in hits over the Wildcats. Douglas was 4 for 5 with a double and run scored. McCafferty went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI. Young was 2 for 5 with a solo homer while Cade Lynam finished 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored.
Starter Nathan Anderson (2-5) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings with five strikeouts. Reliever Jacob Kneifl worked one inning with Eli Crnkovich pitching the final two innings.
The Wildcats and Warriors close out their three-game NSIC series Saturday with a nine-inning contest starting at 1 p.m. in Winona, Minnesota.
