It was back to single game action to close out the first four-game NSIC series for the Wayne State College baseball team.
One last time in Pueblo, Colorado, Wayne State College and Minnesota Crookston met on Monday afternoon.
The Wildcats dropped an 11-9 decision against UMC falling to 2-6 (1-3 NSIC). Minnesota Crookston improved to 4-3 (3-1 NSIC) with other wins of 8-0 and 11-6 on Sunday while WSC won the first game of 12-1 on Saturday.
During the final game of the series, Wayne State College erupted for a five-run top of the second inning. Senior Taylor Gill scored on a fielding error; junior Braden Cannon doubled in senior Quinn McCafferty; junior Gabe Monosmith scored on a wild pitch before sophomore Max Heard doubled in junior Nate Cunningham and Cannon.
Minnesota Crookston followed with their own five-run inning in the home half of the third.
WSC would regain the lead thanks to single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings to go up 7-5. Cunningham posted a solo homerun as Monosmith drove in Heard.
Minnesota Crookston posted a four-run bottom of the fifth to lead 9-7.
Wayne State College tied the game at 9-9 thanks to a two-run homerun by Heard scoring senior Chase Douglas in the sixth inning.
UMC scored single runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Final favored Minnesota Crookston winning 11-9 as both teams recorded 11 hits and one error a piece.
Heard recorded four hits being two singles, a double and a two-run homerun to go along with four total RBI and two total runs scored. Monosmith singled twice, drove in a run and scored; Cunningham went yard with a solo shot and two total runs scored as Cannon doubled, drove in a run and scored.
McCafferty singled and scored; junior Blake Stanley and senior Kaden Young both singled as Douglas and Gill each crossed the plate once.
Pitcher number four of six was senior Eli Crnkovich (pitch count NA) suffered the loss in two and a third innings allowing two earned runs off three hits while striking out two batters and walking two. Redshirt freshman Brooks Kneifl started the opening two and two-thirds allowing five earned runs off three hits while striking out and walking four batters each.
Senior Kadyn Van Hill worked an inning and two-thirds allowing three earned runs off four hits while striking out one batter. Senior Jacob Kneifl pitched two-thirds of an inning allowing an earned run off one hit.
Junior Clement Febus followed Crnkovich not recording an out among two batters faced walking one and also hitting one batter. Sophomore Kyler Hanson closed out the final two-thirds.
The Wayne State College baseball team will next prepare for their trip to Florida during the Russ Matt Invitational from March 8 – 11 playing a scheduled five games.
