Game 1 - Wayne State 8 Minot State 4

Game 2 - Wayne State 5 Minot State 3

            Senior right fielder Nate Ackerman hit three home runs in the opener and added another blast in the second game to lead Wayne State College in a 8-4 and 5-3 Northern Sun Conference baseball sweep at Minot State Saturday afternoon in Minot, North Dakota.  The Wildcats improve to 6-18 and 3-5 in the NSIC while the host Beavers fall to 4-20 and 1-9 in league play.
            The first game saw WSC rally from a 4-0 deficit as Ackerman connected for a trio of two-run homers to lift the Wildcats in a 8-4 win.
            Minot State scored three runs in the first and one more in the third to hold a 4-0 lead after three innings.
            In the fourth. Albert Johnson singled and scored on Ackerman's first blast to trim the lead to 4-2.
            WSC scored two more runs in the fifth as Johnson walked with two outs and scored again on Ackerman's second homer of the game to even the score at 4-4.
            The 'Cats produced two more runs in the sixth on just one hit (an infield single by Brandon Fowler) with both runs scoring on wild pitches for a 6-4 WSC advantage.
            Ackerman completed the home run hat trick in the seventh when his third blast after Johnson walked to lead off the inning making the final score 8-4.
            WSC had 12 hits in the win, led by Ackerman going 3 for 4 with three homers, six RBI and three runs scored.  Johnson was 2 for 2 with a pair of singles and three runs scored while Nick McIntee was 2 for 4.  Tanner Simons added a double.
            Taner Ledezma (3-2) pitched five innings to record the win, allowing four runs on six hits with three strikeouts.  Joey Lenihan and Curtis Bussard each worked one inning of perfect relief recording one strikeout apiece.
            The second game saw freshman starter Mitch Ragan fan 12 batters in six innings of work while Ackerman and Bodie Cooper each homered to power the Wildcats in a 5-3 win over the Beavers to complete the sweep.
            WSC got off to a quick start, scoring three in the first on Bodie Cooper's two-run homer and an RBI single by Nick McIntee.
            The score stayed 3-0 until the host Beavers produced two runs in the fourth for a 3-2 score.
            WSC took a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth when Ackerman connected for a one-out, solo homer.
            Minot State answered in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 4-3, but WSC added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Cooper and Albert Johnson produced back-to-back doubles giving the 'Cats a 5-3 win.
            Wayne State held an 11-7 advantage in hits on the Beavers.  Cooper was 2 for 4 with a homer, double and two RBI with two runs scored while Johnson was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles.  Aaron Krier and Alex Kreft each added two hits for WSC while Ackerman homered, his fourth of the day.
            Ragan (2-1) fired six strong innings to collect the pitching win, striking out 12 batters while allowing three runs on seven hits.  Spencer Morris worked the final three innings and did not allow a base runner while whiffing three batters to collect his first save of the season.
            The Wildcats and Beavers conclude their four-game NSIC series with another doubleheader Sunday starting at noon in Minot, North Dakota.