Game 1 - #16 Minnesota State 4 Wayne State 3

Game 2 -#16 Minnesota State 1 Wayne State 0

            Wayne State suffered a pair of one-run losses at #16 Minnesota State Wednesday afternoon in Northern Sun Conference baseball as the Wildcats fell 4-3 and 1-0 to the Mavericks at the MSU Baseball Complex in Mankato, Minnesota.  The Wildcats fall to 18-12 overall and 9-7 in league play while league-leading Minnesota State is now 23-5 on the season and 11-1 in the NSIC.

            Wayne State got on the board first in the opener as the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Luke Abkes hit a solo homerun to left field. Minnesota State would respond with one run in the bottom of the fifth inning and another run in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning. Jake Ritzdorf led off the seventh inning with a double to left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Justin Beranek then drove in Ritzdorf with a double of his own and tied the score at 2-2. Later in the inning, C.J. Nolen stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and drew a walk to bring in Beranek for the go ahead score and a 3-2 lead. But Minnesota State would answer Wayne State with two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh to take a 4-3 victory over the Wildcats.

            WSC was led at the plate in the first game by Luke Abkes as he went 2-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Brett Keim, Beranek, Ritzdorf and Travis Parsons all had one hit for Wayne State. Austen Wisroth pitched five innings for the 'Cats and recorded four strikeouts and three walks while allowing eight hits and two runs (one earned). Reliever Jerad Barth suffered the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season.

             The second game saw Minnesota States Tyler Ockuly outduel Wayne State's Tadd Johansen as the Mavericks pulled out a 1-0 win over the Wildcats.  The lone run of the game was scored in the fourth inning by MSU at Pat Dockendorf was hit by the pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Ben Kincaid single to left field giving Minnesota State a 1-0 lead. 

            WSC had two runners on in both the eighth and ninth innings but could not score.  In the eighth, Brett Keim and C.J. Nolen singled to put runners on first and second with two outs, but Mike Bisenius grounded out to first to end that threat.  In the ninth, WSC mounted a two-out rally as Michael Herman reached first base on a third strike wild pitch and Beranek singled, but Keim was called out on strikes to end the game as Minnesota State held on for the 1-0 win.

            The Wildcats had six hits in the game compared to five by MSU.  Herman doubled while Braulio Acosta, Nolen, Bisenius, Beranek and Keim each singled.  Johansen (4-2) suffered the hard-luck loss for the Wildcats, throwing all eight innings.  He allowed just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

            Wayne State will be on the road again this weekend traveling to Aberdeen, South Dakota for a four-game Northern Sun Conference series at Northern State with doubleheaders scheduled for noon on Saturday and Sunday.