Wayne State used a five-run 10th inning to salvage a split with Winona State Thursday, bouncing back from a 5-4 loss in the opener to take an 8-4 win in games moved from Winona, Minn., to the Chapman Complex in Wayne.
After dropping its fourth one-run game in their last five contests in the opener, Wayne State used a five-run 10th inning in the second game to post an 8-4 win over Winona State and salvage a split of a Northern Sun Conference baseball doubleheader played Thursday afternoon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne.
In the opener, Winona State rallied from a 4-0 deficit as the Warriors handed Wayne State its fourth one-run loss in the last five games. Both starting pitchers recorded complete games, but two Wildcat errors led to four unearned runs for the Warriors in the contest.
Wayne State took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third, highlighted by a Bryce Bisenius two-run homer over the right field wall. Andrew Hanson and Tanner Simons each added run-scoring singles in the inning.
Winona State started its comeback with three runs in the fourth and added two more in the fifth with two more unearned runs giving the Warriors the come-from-behind win.
Wayne State had eight hits in the game, led by Simons going 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Bisenius added a two-run homer while Hanson, Travis Miller, Peyton Barnes and Garrett Graveline each singled. Aidan Breedlove (1-4) suffered the pitching loss despite firing a complete game. In six innings of work, he gave up eight hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts and two walks.
In the nightcap, Wayne State rallied with two runs in the top of the ninth to force extra innings, then won it in the 10th to come away with the doubleheader split.
Winona State scored a run in the first to take a 1-0 lead, but Wayne State answered in the top of the third on a Tanner Simons single.
The Warriors produced single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take a 3-1 lead into the top of the ninth, but Wayne State rallied and scored two runs without a hit to tie the score at 3-3 on a two-out rally with no runners on base. David Janes, Andrew Hanson and Simons all walked to load the bases. Bisenius reached on a fielding error by the Winona State shortstop to score Janes making the score 3-2. Miller then hit a grounder to third base and Simons beat the play to third allowing pinch runner Jackson Petersen to score tying the game at 3-3.
In the top of the 10th, Wayne State erupted for five runs on five hits to take an 8-3 lead. Simons blasted a three-run homer to right field for the big hit of the inning. Alex Logelin and Colin Chick each had bunt singles while Miller and Bisenius each singled. Winona State scored once in the bottom of the 10th, but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats gained the split.
Wayne State had 12 hits in the win, led by Simons going 2-for-5 with four RBI. Peyton Barnes was 3-for-5 while Chick was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Bisenius also had two hits in the win.
Reliever Lawson Zenner (2-3) was the winning pitcher, working the final two innings giving up one run on four hits. Starter Aaron Ras worked a season-high 7 1/3 innings and gave up six hits and three runs with two strikeouts and three walks. Reliever Isaac Rubendall worked 2/3 innings and walked one batter with one strikeout.
Wayne State (9-15, 7-7 NSIC) is scheduled to visit St. Cloud State in a four-game NSIC series this weekend in Minnesota.
