Mustangs Split with Winona State for Second Day in a Row

Game One Box

Game Two Box

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.: The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team split its doubleheader with Winona State on Saturday morning in the Metrodome, winning game two 7-4 after blowing two leads to lose the first game on Saturday 9-8 . SMSU is now 10-8 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC, while WSU improves to 7-6 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC.

Once again SMSU got on top right away, taking a 2-0 lead after the first half inning following a leadoff double by Derick Swenson and a two-run single to left by Derek West. Winona State answered with one in the bottom of the inning, but Southwest added two more in the second on an RBI double by Greg Laughlin and a run scoring single by Josh Nolan.

Starter Derek Bjoraker lasted just 1.2 innings, but only allowed one run, despite four walks. Brandon Wilhelmi was a shot in the arm for the Mustang pitching staff, throwing 3.1 innings of relief.

The Mustangs added single runs in the fourth and fifth. Laughlin scored on a throwing error in the fourth inning and Corey Neale scored in the fifth after pinch running for West, who led off the inning with a double.

Winona finally got to Wilhelmi in the fifth for one run to close the SMSU lead to 7-2. The senior righthander picked up his second win of the year after allowing just one run, while striking out four out of the bullpen.

The Warriors scored two in the seventh off reliever Arron Olson, but Andrew Kinney got the final out of the game to earn his second career save.

Nolan led the offense with three hits, while Laughlin, West and Doug Stearns each had two.

In game one, the Mustangs jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the top of the first. Swenson led off the game with a single to right. After a ground out to first on a hit-and-run to advance Swenson to second, Kinney laced a single to left to put runners on the corners with one out. Southwest then got back-to-back RBI singles from Nolan and Lex Reinke#. Nolan advanced to third and allowed Kinney to score from first when the center fielder misplayed the ball on Nolan's base hit and SMSU led 3-0 after Reinke's single. West followed Reinke with a two-run home run to left, his team-leading fifth homer of the spring. Jake Munsch later scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to six.

Winona answered right back in the bottom of the first, sending nine men to the plate, with three runs on four hits. The Warriors were aided by an infield hit and an error. WSU then tied the game in the bottom of the second with three more runs after four-straight singles to start the inning. SMSU starter Aaron Johnson settled down after the four singles, retiring 11 of the next 12 batters, with the only runner reaching on an error.

Southwest took its second lead of the game in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Tony Rislov that scored West, who led off the inning with a bunt single. Swenson followed Rislov with a run scoring double to make the score 8-6.

The Mustangs went to the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth and got three runs off reliever Curtis Smith. WSU tied the game on a two-run single by Ronnie Olson and took the lead on a wild pitch later in the inning. For Smith, it was his first loss of the year as he drops to 3-1 this spring.

Swenson and West led SMSU with two hits each at the plate.

Southwest found bad luck during the game, allowing three infield singles, while hitting three fly outs to the wall. SMSU also lost a run on a ground rule double by Swenson, as the runner from first would have likely scored.

Weather permitting, SMSU is scheduled to host St. Cloud State on Tuesday at Alumni Field.

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