Box Score Wayne State 6 Northwest Missouri State 5

            Junior third baseman Ashley Hernandez went 3 for 4 with three RBI while junior pitcher Maddie Moser fired 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to lift Wayne State College in a 6-5 win over Northwest Missouri State Saturday afternoon at the 5-State Softball Classic in Emporia, Kansas.  The Wildcats move to 4-3 on the season while NMSU drops to 3-10.
            Wayne State opened the scoring in the first when Kortney Buresh walked and scored an on Ashley Hernandez double.
            After Northwest Missouri State grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second, Wayne State responded with three unearned runs in the bottom of the frame to grab a 4-2 lead.  Freshman catcher Clare Reinhart laced a two-run single up the middle that scored Emily Hale (single) and Buresh (fielder's choice) while Hernandez added an RBI single to right field that brought home Kim Vidlak, who reached on a two out error.
            Both teams scored single runs in the fourth as Vidlak reached base on a Bearcat error and crossed home plate on a Hernandez single to left field for a 5-3 Wayne State lead.
            Northwest Missouri State came back in the sixth and came up with two runs to even the score at 5-5.
            But Wayne State regained the lead in the bottom of the inning with two outs and no one on base as Kamryn Sparks singled up the middle, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Paiton Tornberg single for a 6-5 Wildcat lead.
            Wildcat relief pitcher Maddie Moser, the third WSC pitcher of the day, shut the door on the Bearcats in the seventh and preserved the 6-5 Wildcat victory.
            Both teams had 11 hits in the contest.  Hernandez led WSC at the plate going 3 for 4 with a double and three RBI.  Tornberg went 2 for 4 with a pair of single and an RBI while Reinhart was 1 for 3 with two RBI.  Buresh singled and scored two runs while Vidlak also scored twice for the Wildcats.
            Moser (2-0) was the winning pitcher in relief for Wayne State, working 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief with two strikeouts.  Freshman starter Hadley Chvatal pitched five innings and was charged with three runs (one earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk.  Sophomore reliever Makenna Adkison worked 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits.
            The Wildcats are scheduled to play a pair of games Sunday, weather permitting, at the 5-State Classic in Topeka as Wayne State is slated to face Missouri Western at 10:30 a.m. and Washburn at 2:30 p.m.