Wayne State built a 6-0 lead, then fought off a furious Winona State comeback, to defeat the Warriors 8-6 and complete a Northern Sun Conference baseball three-game sweep Saturday afternoon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne. The Wildcats finish the NSIC regular season in third place at 25-15 in the league and 29-20 overall while Winona State ends the season at 22-28 and 18-22 in conference play.
The 'Cats jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning, using only two hits and two Winona State errors to help score four runs.
Casey Prychak's two-run single through the right side brought home
Kaden Young (walk) and
Brayden Chaney (walk) while
Cam Madsen added an RBI single to bring in
Braden Cannon (reached on error).
In the third, WSC added two more runs to grab a 6-0 lead.
Taylor Gill blasted a solo homer down the right field line for the first run and Young later had an RBI single to right center field scoring Chaney (fielder's choice).
Winona State cut into the Wildcat lead in the fifth inning scoring three runs.
Wayne State added one run in the sixth to go in front 7-3 as Young reached on a Warrior fielding error and scored on a Cannon RBI single for the 'Cats.
The Warriors scored three more runs in the seventh, reducing the Wildcat lead to 7-6.
Winona State threatened to tie the score in the eighth, putting runners on first and third with two outs on a pair of walks and a wild pitch. Cannon came on in relief of
Conlin Grady and got a fielder's choice to get out of the inning.
The Wildcats added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as Young had a one-out double, Cannon singled through the left side to put runners at the corners with one out and Prychak delivered a sacrifice fly to left field bringing home Young for an 8-6 Wildcat advantage.
Cannon then retired Winona State in order in the ninth to record his 10
th save of the season as the Wildcats completed the home sweep.
Wayne State had 10 hits in the game as Cannon was 3 for 4 with three singles and two RBI. Young went 2 for 3 with a double and three runs scored while Madsen added two hits. Prychak had three RBI while Gill added a solo homer.
Freshman starter
Carson Obrecht worked the first four innings, allowing three runs on three hits. Reliever
Eli Crnkovich fired two scoreless innings of relief allowing just one hit with three strikeouts to record the win, now 3-2 on the season. With his NSIC-leading 10
th save, Cannon also ties his single season saves record of 10 in 2023 that is also shared with Kyle Kennebeck (10 in 2017).
The Wildcats earn the #3 seed for the upcoming NSIC Baseball Tournament and will face #6 seed Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the opening round at Ronken Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.