A home NSIC four-game series closed on Sunday for the Wayne State College baseball team.
From the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex, WSC returned to their home diamond against Minnesota Duluth.
WSC won Friday’s series-opener of 13-6 and followed with a 3-2 win but 7-1 loss on Saturday.
On Sunday, Wayne State College took control early en route to a 16-8 victory over Minnesota Duluth. The Wildcats improved to 17-12 (13-7 NISC) while the visiting Bulldogs fell to 13-16 (9-11 NSIC).
During the lone nine-inning contest, it was Minnesota Duluth putting an early run on the board in the top of the first.
WSC quickly followed with two runs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Max Heard doubled in redshirt junior Cam Madsen followed by a sac-fly from senior Taylor Gill scoring Heard.
Wayne State College added three runs in the bottom of the second. Madsen drove in junior Braden Cannon as Heard doubled in Madsen and senior Chase Douglas.
UMD answered with their own three-run top of the third inning to pull within a run trailing 5-4.
The Wildcats then picked up the scoring thanks to a six-run bottom of the third inning to lead 11-4. Cannon recorded a two-run inside-the-park homerun scoring senior Kaden Young, followed by a RBI triple from sophomore Brayden Chaney driving in junior Casey Prychak, Douglas added a two-RBI base hit scoring Chaney and Madsen as Gill doubled in Douglas.
Following a scoreless fourth, Minnesota Duluth scored one run in the top of the fifth.
Wayne State College countered with a second three-run inning a half of an inning later to go up 14-5. Gill touched them all thanks to a three-run homerun scoring Douglas and Heard.
The Bulldogs used single runs in the top of the sixth and top of the seventh.
WSC scored two more runs to close their run production in the bottom of the seventh. Young used a bases loaded RBI walk scoring junior Nate Cunningham as Cannon recorded a RBI groundout scoring junior Blake Stanley.
Neither team scored in the eighth as Minnesota Duluth was limited to one run in the top of the ninth.
Final favored Wayne State College winning 16-8 while outhitting UMD, 14-11. WSC committed one error compared to two errors by the Bulldogs.
Taylor Gill doubled, recorded a three-run homerun and totaled five RBI; Braden Cannon added a double, two-run inside-the-park homerun, totaled three RBI and two runs scored; Max Heard doubled twice, drove in three runs and scored twice as Brayden Chaney tripled, drove in a run and scored.
Chase Douglas also singled twice, drove in two runs and scored three runs; Cam Madsen singled twice, drove in a run and scored three times and Kaden Young singled twice, drove in a run and scored.
Senior Quinn McCafferty singled as Nate Cunningham, Blake Stanley and Casey Prychak all scored.
The Wildcat bats faced 11 different Minnesota Duluth pitchers.
Junior Adam Eggert (32 pitches) picked up the win in two scoreless innings of relief allowing two hits while walking one batter. Senior Tyson Romero (49) started the opening two innings allowing four runs (three earned) off two hits while striking out two batters, walking three and hitting two.
Senior Kadyn Van Hill (30) was the second relief pitcher in two innings allowing two earned runs off four hits while striking out one batter. Sophomore Braden Sweet (19) worked an inning allowing an earned run off one hit while striking out one batter. Junior Clement Febus (40) closed out the final two innings allowing an earned run off two hits while striking out and walking two batters each.
