Ahead of five straight games on the home diamond, a final regular season road series began over the weekend for Wayne State College.
From Fossum Field in Aberdeen, South Dakota, WSC opened a three-game series at Northern State on Saturday.
The visiting Wildcats first had a five-game winning streak snapped in game one falling 3-2 before picking up a 6-3 win in 11 innings.
WSC is now 26-17 (22-12 NSIC) while the host Wolves moved to 12-29 (8-26 NSIC).
In the opening game, it took until the home half of the third inning for scoring when Northern State plated a single run while also scoring once each in the fourth and fifth to lead 3-0.
WSC put up two runs in the top of the sixth. Senior Quinn McCafferty posted a RBI base hit driving in redshirt junior Cam Madsen followed by sophomore Max Heard crossing the plate on a wild pitch.
Final favored Northern State University winning 3-2 and both teams recorded one hit. The Wildcats committed three errors compared to zero by NSU.
Quinn McCafferty accounted for the lone single and RBI for WSC. Cam Madsen and Max Heard both scored.
Senior Jackson Shelburne (pitch count NA) suffered the loss in four innings allowing three runs (one earned) off one hit while striking out three batters, walking five and hitting three. Sophomore Conlin Grady worked two scoreless innings striking out one batter.
During the second outing, no scoring occurred until WSC began with a run in the top of the fourth. Junior Braden Cannon used a RBI groundout scoring senior Taylor Gill.
Northern State answered with three runs in the home half of the fifth.
Following back-to-back scoreless innings, Wayne State College scored once in the top of the eighth thanks to a RBI groundout from Gill driving in senior Chase Douglas before forcing extras in the top of the ninth on a RBI single from Douglas scoring sophomore Brayden Chaney.
Neither team scored in the 10th as the Wildcats plated three runs in the top of the 11th. Madsen reached on an error allowing junior Casey Prychak to cross the plate while Chaney also scored off a throwing error on the same play as Gill tacked on a RBI base hit driving in Madsen.
Final favored Wayne State College winning 6-3 in 11 innings despite being outhit, 9-8. WSC committed four errors compared to Northern State who ended with seven errors.
Taylor Gill singled twice, drove in two runs and scored; Chase Douglas singled twice, drove in a run and scored as Max Heard doubled. Senior Kaden Young also singled twice.
Casey Prychak singled and scored; Cam Madsen accounted for a RBI and run scored; Braden Cannon added a RBI as Brayden Chaney scored twice.
Cannon (pitch count NA) picked up the win in an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief walking one batter. Junior Clay Beaumont started the opening five innings allowing three runs (two earned) off six hits while striking out three batters and walking two.
Junior Keinan Lentell worked two innings allowing one hit while striking out and hitting one batter each. Wayne native and senior Jacob Kneifl pitched two and a third allowing two hits while walking one batter.
