Wayne State opened Northern Sun Conference baseball play Saturday evening with a sweep over the University of Mary in games that were moved to Millard North High School in Omaha due to wet field conditions in Wayne.
The opener saw sophomore starter Aidan Breedlove fire a five-hit shutout to lead the Wildcats in an 8-0 victory.
Wayne State took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Tanner Simons RBI double that scored Andrew Hanson.
The Wildcats made it 2-0 in the fourth on a Travis Miller solo homer and broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning. Hanson produced a two-run homer that scored Jake Lorenzini followed by a Kyle Thompson two-run single that brought home David Janes and pinch runner Peyton Barnes.
Wayne State added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to close out the scoring thanks to an RBI double from Simons and a run-scoring single by Janes.
The Wildcats held an 11-5 advantage in hits over Mary in the opener. Hanson was 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored to lead a balanced attack. Simons ended 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI while Miller homered and was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Janes added a pair of singles for WSC in the win.
Breedlove improved to 1-1 on the season with the complete game shutout win, allowing just five hits while notching five strikeouts with one walk.
The second game saw the Wildcats build an early 5-0 lead, then hold off a charging Marauder club to post a 6-5 win to complete the Saturday sweep.
The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the first on a Travis Miller two-run double that scored Hanson and Janes. They added three in the third for a 5-0 advantage, as Rob Ramsey’s two-run double was a key hit in the inning, along with a run-scoring single from Thompson.
Mary started their rally in the fourth inning with three runs followed by one more in the fifth to make the score 5-4. But Wayne State added what proved to be the game-winning run in the fifth when Simons singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Miller for a 6-4 lead.
Mary produced the game’s final run in the sixth, but relievers Isaac Rubendall and Lawson Zenner held the Marauders scoreless the rest of the way as Wayne State held on for the win.
The Marauders outhit the Wildcats in the second contest 11-9. Janes ended 3-for-4 with two runs scored followed by Miller going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Ramsey had a two-run double.
Freshman starter Aaron Ras (2-1) earned the win, working 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. Rubendall went the next 2 1/3 innings and allowed one run (unearned) on three hits. Sophomore Lawson Zenner pitched the final two innings to earn his first save of the season, retiring all six batters he faced with one strikeout.
Wayne State (4-8, 2-0 NSIC) and Mary will face each other again Sunday afternoon with games played at Millard North High School starting at 1 p.m.
