FAYETTE, Iowa – The Winona State baseball team split with Upper Iowa Wednesday afternoon in a road doubleheader in Fayette, Iowa. WSU dropped the opener 9-6 before rebounding with a 10-5 win in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: UIU 9, WSU 6
The Warriors rallied for five runs in the seventh inning of game one but it wasn't enough as Upper Iowa claimed the 9-6 victory in the opener.
The Peacocks took an early 1-0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly, but Mitch Voter helped tie things up in the third on a fielder's choice that scored Joe Kubera.
UIU quickly got that run back in the bottom of the inning and tacked on five in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth to take a 9-1 lead.
Tyler Nehring recorded a sac fly in the seventh inning before Taylor Field doubled down the right field line as WSU added a pair to cut the lead to 9-3. Michael Hommes gave the Warriors life with a bases loaded double of his own down the right field line that plated Nathan Krause, Taylor Field and Mitch Voter to pull within three, at 9-6 before Kipp Youngquist flew out to end the threat.
GAME TWO: WSU 10, UIU 5
The Warriors salvaged the doubleheader split, claiming a 10-5 victory over Upper Iowa in the nightcap.
WSU pounded out 15 hits in game two, including a double to left center field by Ryan Nyhagen to plate Joe Kubera for a 1-0 lead.
UIU evened the score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second, but in the fourth inning an RBI double from Taylor Field and an RBI fielder's choice from Andrew Geislinger opened up a 3-1 lead for the Warriors.
WSU's lead was quickly erased in the bottom of the fourth with three runs. But Winona State put together consecutive three-run innings to pull away for good.
Mitch Voter tied the game in the fifth with a sacrifice fly and Jesus Cazares produced the would-be game-winning runs with a two-run double to right center field in the sixth as WSU took a 6-4 lead. Voter then connected on his second sacrifice fly in as many innings to move in front 7-4.
Upper Iowa got a run back in the sixth with an RBI single, but WSU pulled away in the seventh with a two-run single from Michael Hommes to move ahead 9-5 before Hommes scored for the 10-5 win.
Freshman Parker Holmstrom earned his first collegiate victory on the mound, tossing five innings while surrendering just one earned run while striking out five and walking just one. WSU's bullpen was strong in relief as well, as Hayden Krimmer, Joe Kubera and Mitch Voter tossed each tossed an inning of hitless baseball with two strikeouts apiece to secure the win.
Winona State (17-26-1) closes the regular season with a four-game home series against Concordia-St. Paul Friday and Saturday at Loughrey Field in Winona.
