Quality pitching helped the Wayne State baseball team take both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader with Bemidji State at the Chapman Complex, posting wins of 4-2 and 10-2 over the Beavers.
In the first game, freshman starter Aiden Breedlove pitched six solid innings of four-hit ball and the Wildcats’ offense came to life midway through the game to give Wayne State the win.
Wayne State got on the board in the first inning on an RBI single by David Janes, then took a 2-1 lead in the third when Cody Jenkins came through with an RBI single.
Bemidji State tied the game in the top of the fourth, but Wayne State scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to take the lead for good. Bodie Cooper broke the tie with an RBI single in the fifth, and Tanner Simons gave Wayne State an insurance run with his sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
Breedlove went six innings, allowing four hits and striking out three while walking one. Kyle Kennebeck came on in the seventh to get his second save of the year with a pair of strikeouts.
In the nightcap, Wayne State’s bats came alive with a 15-hit effort to help Teague McFadden, who worked six strong innings to help the Wildcats finish off a 3-1 weekend against the Beavers.
Simons and Janes both had RBI singles in the first inning to put Wayne State ahead to stay, and Jackson Petersen added an RBI double in the second to make it 3-0.
Wayne State broke the game open in the fifth with a five-run effort, highlighted by Simons’ bases-clearing double and an RBI double from Jenkins. Tandon Dorn added a sacrifice fly and Peyton Barned had an RBI single to close out the scoring.
Janes was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Jenkins and Peyton Barnes each had three hits. Barnes scored twice and Simons had two hits and four RBI’s.
McFadden allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out four in six innings to get the win. Dalton Smith, Brady Johnson and Jordan Mehl each pitched an inning in relief.
Wayne State (18-18, 13-11 NSIC) will be at home on Wednesday hosting Upper Iowa in a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex.
