In a battle featuring the third and fourth place teams in Northern Sun Conference baseball, Southwest Minnesota State got the best of Wayne State Wednesday afternoon in a doubleheader played at Yankee Field in Milroy, Minnesota by scores of 5-4 and 12-4.  SMSU is now 19-10 and 14-9 in the NSIC while the Wildcats slip to 17-14 and 13-9 in league play.
            The host Mustangs used a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to win the opener 5-4.
            WSC jumped out early scoring two runs without a hit in the top of the first inning, using a hit by pitch and three Mustang errors to score twice to start the game.
            The Mustangs got one run back in the bottom of the first and took the lead with three in the fifth for a 4-2 score.
            Wayne State tied the score with two runs in the top of the sixth as Taylor Gill singled and scored on a two-run homer to left field by senior first baseman Kaden Young to knot the score at 4-4.
            The Mustangs took the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out, solo homer to grab the opener with a 5-4 win.
            WSC had just two hits in the game – both in the sixth inning – as Gill singled followed by Young's homer.
            Reliever Colin Grady (0-2) was tagged with the loss allowing the solo homer in the sixth. 
            The second game saw the Mustangs score runs in five of the eight innings in completing the sweep with a 12-4 victory.
            The 'Cats opened the second game with two runs in the first as Chase Douglas homered to left field bringing home Cam Madsen, who singled to start the contest.
            WSC grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third thanks to a one-out, solo homer to left field by Max Heard.
            But it was all SMSU after that as the Mustangs scored two runs in the third and fourth innings followed by a four-run fifth for an 8-3 lead.
            The Mustangs added three runs in the seventh to go in front 11-3.  WSC closed their scoring with a run in the eighth as Madsen walked and later scored on a Quinn McCafferty RBI single.  SMSU added one run in the bottom of the eighth for the final score of 12-4.
             SMSU held a 16-6 advantage in hits over the Wildcats.  Heard was 2 for 4 with an RBI and run scored while McCafferty had a pair of singles.  Doulgas homered and drove in two runs while Madsen singled and scored twice.
            Starting pitcher Brooks Kneifl (2-1) suffered the pitching loss, charged with five hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings of work.  Keinan Lentell, Adam Eggert, Eli Crnkovich and Kadyn Van Hill each saw action out of the Wildcat bullpen. 
            The Wildcats return home this weekend hosting Concordia-St. Paul in a three-game NSIC series starting with a Saturday doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex.