Game 1 - Wayne State 4 #29 Winona State 0
Game 2 - Wayne State 7 #29 Winona State 6 (12 inn.)
Wayne State's Braulio Acosta drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning to lead the Wildcats past #29 Winona State 7-6 in game two of a doubleheader at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne Wednesday afternoon. The Wildcats took the first game 4-0. Tadd Johansen threw his fifth complete game of the season and his second complete game shutout to led WSC in the opener. The Wildcats have won eight straight and are now 20-16 overall and 13-9 in the NSIC and the Warriors are now 24-11 overall and 18-6 in the conference.
The first game saw Johansen improve to 5-3 throwing his second complete game shutout of the season as the sophomore from Elkhorn went seven innings allowing four hits with four strikeouts. Johansen faced 27 batters in the game and allowed only two walks. In his seven innings pitched, Johansen did not allow more than two runners to reach base in an inning.
The Wildcats got on the board in the third inning on an RBI single through the right side off the bat of Patrick Burkhart as Jake Ritzdorf scored to make it 1-0. WSC added two more runs in the fourth inning. The two run inning was highlighted by RBI singles by Ritzdorf and Luke Farrar. The Wildcats added their fourth and final run in the fifth inning when Travis Parsons hit an RBI double to left center field scoring Justin Beranek to give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead as Johansen shut the door for WSC on the mound as the Wildcats took game one 4-0.
The Wildcats were led by Ritzdorf and Parsons who each went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Farrar was also 2 for 3 for WSC adding an RBI in the first contest. Beranek was 1 for 2 in with a run scored.
In the second game, Winona State scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to grab a 2-0 lead. WSC tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Beranek singled and Bidroski walked with both later scoring when Slade Bolles reached on an error. Winona State regained the lead in the top of the seventh with two runs giving the Warriors a 4-2 lead. The Wildcats came back with single runs in the seventh and eighth to tie the score at 4-4. In the seventh, Luke Farrar singled and came in on a Burkhart RBI groundout and the 'Cats tied the score in the eighth when Bidroski was hit by a pitch and scored on Ritzdorf's double down the right field line.
After a scoreless ninth inning, the game went into extra innings. Winona State struck for two runs in the top of the 11th to take a 6-4 lead, but WSC countered with two runs to even the score at 6-6. Ritzdorf opened with a single and later scored on a wild pitch for the first run while the second run was scored when Farrar singled and crossed the plate on a CJ Nolen single through the right side. In the bottom of the 12th, Bidroski reached first base on a third strike wild pitch, advanced to second when Slade Bolles reached on an error by Winona State leftfielder Joe Kley and advanced to third on a flyout by Ritzdorf. Bidroski then scored on Acosta's single to right field for the game-winning run as Wayne State prevailed in 12 inning 7-6 to complete the sweep.
Winona State had 14 hits in the game to 10 for the Wildcats. Ritzdorf and Farrar each went 2 for 5 to lead WSC at the plate with Ritzdorf and Bidroski each recording doubles for the lone extra base hits for the Wildcats. Senior Matt Meier (2-0) was the winning pitcher in relief, working the final four innings. He gave up two runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Starter Eric Schwieger pitched the first six innings, allowing seven hits and two runs (one earned) with three strikeouts and one walk. Jerad Barth worked the seventh and eighth innings and gave up two runs on three hits.
Wayne State is next in action on Tuesday, May 3rd visiting Minnesota, Crookston in a Northern Sun Conference doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m.
