Box Score             Wayne State left 17 runners stranded on base in a 12-5 loss to #9 Augustana late Thursday afternoon in the NSIC Baseball Tournament winner's bracket semi-final played in Bismarck, North Dakota at Municipal Park.  The Wildcats drop to 27-22 and face an elimination game Thursday evening against Minnesota Crookston while the top-seeded Vikings improve to 43-8 with the win.
            The 'Cats opened the scoring in the top of the first when Quinn McCafferty reached on an Augustana error and scored on a bases loaded walk to Kaden Young for a 1-0 lead.
            After Augustana scored twice in the bottom of the first and another in the second for a 3-1 lead, Wayne State came back with a pair of runs in the third to even the score at 3-3.  Colin Lynam opened the inning with a double down the left field line and scored on a Kyler Essink groundout.  Later in the inning, sophomore third baseman Nate Cunningham had an infield single to shortstop that brought home Trey Wells, who singled, to knot the score at 3-3.
            But Augustana took control of the game in the fourth and fifth innings with a combined eight runs to take an 11-3 lead.  The Vikings plated five runs on just three hits in the fourth, taking advantage of a walk and hit batter, to take the lead for good at 8-3.  Three more runs for Augustana in the fifth inning on three hits put the Vikings in front 11-3.
            Augustana scored their final run of the game in the seventh for a 12-3 lead while WSC scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to close the scoring.
            In the eighth, McCafferty singled to center field and came home when Essink reached on an error.  McCafferty's RBI single in the ninth drove home Cam Madsen, who singled earlier.
            Wayne State left at least one runner on base in every inning, including the bases loaded in the first and ninth innings while leaving two runners on base in four other innings.
            Augustana held a 15-12 edge in hits over the Wildcats.  Colin Lynam was 2 for 4 with a double, Wayne State's only extra base hit in the game, along with one run scored.  Wells went 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and one run scored.  Madsen and Chase Douglas each went 2 for 4 while McCafferty finished with two singles and two runs scored.
            Starting pitcher Jackson Shelburne (2-5) was tagged with the pitching loss, allowing six runs on five hits in three innings with four strikeouts.  Jacob Kneifl, Eli Crnkovich and Alex Calabrese each worked in relief.