Wayne State College used standout pitching from Aiden Breedlove and Teague McFadden to help= the Wildcats to a sweep over Augustana Saturday at the Chapman Complex, winning 8-2 and 4-1 on Senior Day.
The story of the opener was the pitching of Breedlove and the hitting from outfielder Aaron Krier. Krier opened the game with a homer into the wind over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats added two more runs in the first when Tanner Simons stroked a two-run single that scored Jackson Petersen and Cody Jenkins.
Augustana pulled within 3-2 in the top of the third with a pair of runs, but Wayne State came back with a three-run bottom of the inning to take control. They added two insurance runs in the fifth on a pair of bases loaded walks to Kyle Thompson and Bodie Cooper to finish off the first game.
The Wildcats had eight hits in the win, paced by Krier going 3-for-5 with a homer, two-run single and three RBI. Tandon Dorn was 2-for-4 with a run scored while Simons had a two-run single. Breedlove pitched six stellar innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits with one strikeout and two walks. Kyle Kennebeck worked a perfect seventh to finish off the win with two strikeouts.
The second game saw an even better pitching performance from McFadden, striking out nine batters in seven innings of work, to carry the Wildcats to the sweep.
After Augustana scored in the opening frame, Wayne State took the lead for good with two runs in the second. Cooper produced an RBI single followed by a Peyton Barnes run-scoring single.
Wayne State closed out the scoring with two more runs in the fourth. Barnes had another RBI single to bring home Dorn, while Petersen accounted for a bases loaded walk.
The rest of the game was controlled by McFadden and relievers Keenan Breen and Kennebeck, blanking the Vikings the rest of the way to finish off the win.
Barnes was 2-for-3 with a pair of run-scoring singles. Cooper added an RBI single while Krier, David Janes, Simons, Thompson and Dorn also singled. Breen retired all three batters in the eighth in relief of McFadden, while Kennebeck earned the save, allowing one hit.
Wayne State (25-21, 20-14 NSIC) will close out the regular season next weekend with doubleheaders at Sioux Falls on Saturday and Sunday.
