Game 1 Wayne State 5 Winona State 3

            Game 2 Winona State 6 Wayne State 3

            The Wayne State Wildcats split a midweek NSIC doubleheader with Winona State, taking the first game 5-3 and falling in the second 6-3 Wednesday afternoon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne. The Wildcats move to 17-21 on the year and 11-13 in the NSIC while the Warriors go to 12-20 overall and 10-11 in the league.
            The Wildcats opened up the game by walking the first batter, who would come around to score in the inning to open a 1-0 lead for Winona State.
            Senior outfielder Alex Logelin hit a double in the bottom of the first before stealing third. Logelin came around to score on a sacrifice lineout from senior Andrew Hanson, knotting the score at 1-1 through one inning.
            Winona State answered with another run in the second, retaking the lead 2-1.
            In the bottom of the fourth, Hanson led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. Senior third baseman Chris Cornish hit an RBI double to tie the game. Designated hitter Travis Baily used a single to score Cornish, and the 'Cats took their first lead of the game. Baily would score on a fielding error by the Warriors, and after four innings of play, WSC led 4-2.
            Junior left-handed pitcher Andrew Staebell entered the game in the fifth with runners on first and second, using two strikeouts and a lineout to get out of the jam and hold the 'Cats 4-2 lead.
            Winona State would get one run back in the sixth before Cornish hit his sixth home run of the season. Wayne State took the first game of the doubleheader 5-3.
            The Warriors had more hits in the game (11-7) but it was the Wildcats that committed less errors (2-1).
            Freshman righty Jackson Shelburne (3-5) earned the win on the mound for the Wildcats, throwing 4.0 innings and allowing nine hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts. Staebell came in and got his third save of the year after pitching 3.0 innings, allowing one unearned run with four strikeouts.
            For the 'Cats offensively, Baily went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Cornish went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.          
           
            In the second game of the day, Winona State again got on the scoreboard in the first, taking a 1-0 lead into the second inning.
            The Warriors tacked on another run in the third before retiring the Wildcats in order. Through three innings, Winona State led 2-0.
            The Wildcats answered in the fourth, scoring a run of their own on a homer from Hanson, his fourth of the season, to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
            Junior Nate Sailors started off the sixth with a single before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Cade Lynam, a junior outfielder, knotted up the score at 2-2 with an RBI single to left center, scoring Sailors.
            Sailors got on base to lead off the seventh inning for the Wildcats, this time reaching on a Warrior throwing error. Sailors would steal second before a single from senior first baseman Noah Roberts would break the tie, giving Wayne State a 3-2 lead heading into the eighth.
            The Warriors scored two in the top of the eighth, and two in the ninth, regaining the lead 6-3.
            Winona State used a pair of strikeouts and a lineout in the bottom of the ninth to secure the 6-3 victory over Wayne State.
            The Warriors outhit the Wildcats 14-5 while again committing two errors with the Wildcats having one.
            Freshman Jacob Kneifl (0-1) gets tagged with his first loss of the season, pitching 0.1 innings and allowing two runs on two hits with a strikeout. Ryan Obrecht, a junior right-handed pitcher, earned a no decision throwing 100 pitches in 7.0 innings of work, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.
            Hanson went 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI and a run scored to lead the 'Cats offensively. He also had three stolen bases on the day, moving his season total to an NSIC-leading 30.
            The Wildcats are scheduled to host Concordia-St. Paul this weekend in an NSIC series with a doubleheader set for Saturday at 12 p.m. followed by a nine inning game Sunday at noon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex.