Clay Beaumont fired five innings of no-hit ball in the opener as the Wayne State baseball team gained a split in a Northern Sun Conference baseball doubleheader played Saturday afternoon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne.  After WSC won the opener 3-2, Minnesota Duluth bounced back for a 7-1 win in the nightcap.  The 'Cats are now 16-12 and 12-7 in the league while UMD is 13-15 and 9-10 in the NSIC.
            The opener was a pitching duel between Beaumont and UMD's Brayden Buttweiler.
            WSC scored the first run of the game in the fourth when Chase Douglas reached on an infield single, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and went home on a Bulldog throwing error.
            The 'Cats added two more runs in the fifth when Cam Madsen singled down the left field line bringing home Nate Cunningham (single) and Keagan McLaughlin (fielder's choice).
            Minnesota Duluth scored both of their runs in the sixth inning on a pair of walks and the lone hit off Beaumont, a single.  Junior closer Braden Cannon came on in the sixth and got the final two outs of the inning along with shutting down the Bulldogs in the seventh for his fifth save of the season.
            WSC had eight hits in the win while holding UMD to just two.  Madsen was 2 for 3 with two RBI while Cunningham added a pair of singles.  Kaden Young had the only extra base hit in the contest – a double.
            Beaumont (1-1) earned the pitching win with 5 1/3 innings of work, allowing just one hit and two runs (one earned) with six strikeouts and three walks.  Cannon fired the final 1 2/3 innings for the save, giving up just one hit.
            The second game saw Minnesota Duluth's Henry Wilkinson hold the Wildcats to just four hits in a complete-game effort as the Bulldogs salvaged a split with a 7-1 win.
            UMD scored one run in the first and three more in the second for an early 4-0 lead. 
            The Bulldogs added another run in the fourth for a 5-0 advantage. 
            WSC scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth as Max Heard doubled to center field and scored on a Quinn McCafferty RBI single.
            Minnesota Duluth added two more runs in the sixth to close the scoring in the 7-1 win.
            UMD held a 12-4 advantage in hits over WSC.  Heard doubled for the only extra base hit by the Wildcats while Taylor Gill, Young and McCafferty each singled.
            Starting pitcher Josh Kilzer (2-2) was tagged with the pitching loss, giving up four runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings.  Conlin Grady, Braden Sweet, Eli Crnkovich, Jacob Kneifl and Carson Obrecht all worked out of the bullpen.
            Wayne State and Minnesota Duluth will close out their four-game NSIC series Sunday at 12 p.m. with a nine-inning contest at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne.