Wayne State rallied from an 11-0 deficit and used a two-out, two-run homer from Emily Chandler in the top of the seventh inning to cap an amazing 13-11 comeback win over Minot State Sunday to highlight their weekend road trip to North Dakota.
The win came in the opener of a Northern Sun Conference softball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at the Minot Air Dome in Minot, N.D. with the Beavers. Minot State withstood another Wildcat rally in the seventh inning of the second game to salvage a split with an 11-10 win.
Minot State produced 11 runs on 11 hits in the second inning to grab an early 11-0 lead before Wayne State started their rally in the third with Chandler’s RBI single that scored Katelyn Wobken, who reached with a double.
The Wildcats scored four runs in the fourth to cut the Beaver lead to 11-5. Chandler had a two-run single while Jordyn Breitbarth added an RBI single for key hits in the inning.
Wayne State used six runs in the top of the sixth inning to even the score at 11-11. Breitbarth started the inning with a solo homer. Ashley Hernandez had a two-run single to go with RBI singles from Abbie Hix and Chandler.
In the seventh, Morgan Vasa reached on a fielder’s choice and, with two outs, Chandler blasted a home run to right center field to complete the comeback for the Wildcats, who finished the game with 19 hits.
Chandler finished 5-for-5 with a homer and six RBI, Wobken went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, and Breitbarth was 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. Vasa, Rachel Shumaker and Hernandez each added two hits.
Sophomore reliever Allison Niemeier was brilliant in relief to earn the win, now 1-1 on the season. She worked a career-high 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits. Maddie Moser started the game and worked 1 1/3 innings and was charged with four runs.
The second game saw Minot State use four run innings in the first and third to build an 8-2 lead, then hold off another Wildcat seventh inning rally, to pick up the 11-10 victory.
Wayne State scored one in the top of the first on Shumaker’s RBI single that brought home Chandler. After Minot scored four runs in the bottom of the first, Wayne State got one run back in the third on back-to-back doubles from Shumaker and Hix.
Another four-run inning in the third gave Minot State an 8-2 lead. Wayne State scored one in the top of the fourth on Chandler’s RBI double and came up with two runs in the top of the fifth on sacrifice flies from Hernandez and Breitbarth that scored Shumaker and Hix that cut the Minot State lead to 8-5.
Minot State answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to push the lead back to 10-5, but the Wildcats made the game interesting again in the seventh, scoring five runs to tie the contest at 10-10. Hix reached on an error and scored on Annie Grammer’s RBI double to trim the Minot State cushion to 10-6. Wobken belted a ground-rule double to score Grammer and Breitbarth cutting the Beaver lead to 10-8.
Wayne State then loaded the bases following a pinch hit by Baylee Rial and a walk to Chandler. Back-to-back fielder’s choices by Alyx Hagen and Shumaker tied the game at 10-10. Hix reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases again, but Hernandez grounded out to end the seventh inning rally, and Minot State used two walks and a double to come away with the win and the split of the two-game series.
Chandler was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles while Hix was 2-for-5 with two doubles. Shumaker went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Moser was tagged with the pitching loss, working four innings of relief. Starter Riley Vanderveen worked 2 1/3 innings.
Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, the Wildcats swept University of Mary in a late-night doubleheader at the Minot Air Dome, winning 6-5 and 12-10, with the second game ending at 2:15 a.m.
The opener saw junior relief pitcher Alyx Hagen hold Mary to just one run in four innings of relief as the Wildcats held off the Marauders.
Wobken led off the game with a double and scored on a Hagen RBI groundout for the Wildcats’ first run. Wayne State scored three more in the second with Chandler belting a two-run double to go with an RBI single by Wobken for the three runs.
In the third, Hix singled and scored on a Breitbarth groundout. Annie Grammer reached on a Mary error and scored on a fielder’s choice from Baylee Rial for the Wildcats’ sixth run.
Wobken was 2-for 2-with a double and two runs scored to lead the Wayne State attack. Chandler doubled and had two RBI while Grammer, Hix, Morgan Vasa, Rachel Shumaker, Taylor Menard and Breitbarth each singled.
Hagen earned the pitching win with four innings of relief in place of Moser. Hagen allowed just one run on seven hits with two strikeouts.
The second game saw Wayne State build a 12-1 lead, then hold off a late Marauder rally to hang on for the series sweep.
Wayne State scored four runs in the first, one in the second, four in the third and three in the top of the fifth to hold a 12-1 lead, but Mary kept the game alive with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 12-5, then scored four more in the sixth to trim the advantage to 12-9.
Mary scored one in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run on first base before Wayne State finally got a popup to second to end the game and the Marauder rally.
Shumaker had a two-run double to highlight Wayne State’s four run first inning. Grammer connected for a solo homer in the second. Her two-run single was the key hit in a four-run third inning to go with RBI singles from Wobken and Breitbarth. Wobken had a two-run single in the three run fifth inning along with an RBI single by Hagen.
Wayne State had 16 hits in the win. Grammer finished 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Wobken went 3-for-5 with three RBI while Chandler finished 3-for-5. Shumaker and Breitbarth each had two hits.
Starting pitcher Riley Vanderveen earned the pitching win, working five innings and allowing eight runs and eight hits with four strikeouts. Allison Niemeier worked 2/3 innings of relief with Moser working the final 1 1/3 innings.
Wayne State (10-21, 4-8 NSIC) will be at home on Wednesday, hosting Sioux Falls in a 3 p.m. NSIC doubleheader.
