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MARSHALL, Minn. - Wayne State rallied with two runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 9-8 victory in game two and spoil Southwest Minnesota State's final game of the season on Saturday at Alumni Field. WSC swept the doubleheader on Saturday, winning game one 5-2 and won all four games of the series.
 
SMSU ends the season with a 21-29 overall record, including 14-20 in the NSIC to finish in ninth place.
 
Today's games were the final in the brown and gold for seniors Ryan Engels, Tanner Neale, Jarred Carlson, Joe Axelson, Austin Stubbs, Patrick Rients, Jason Minett, Brandan Alfson, Mitch Wurm and Jimmy Callahan. 
 
SMSU started game two with a bang as Ryan Engels—playing his final home game—blasted a one-out solo home run over the left-center field fence for the game's first run. Stubbs followed with a double and later scored on an RBI single by Rients making the score 2-0.
 
SMSU added to the lead in the third as Rients ripped a double to center and moved up to third on a single by Jarred Carlson. Alfson then followed with a perfect sac bunt to score Rients and push the lead to 3-0.
 
WSC countered with a two-out rally in the fourth with three straight hits to score three runs and tie the game at 3-3.
 
The Wildcats took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single to make the score 4-3. WSC nearly snapped the tie earlier in the inning on a double to left-center field, but a perfect relay from Rients to Branson to Neale gunned a WSC runner at the plate to keep the game tied.
 
WSC pushed the lead in the seventh with three runs on five hits to extend the lead to 7-3.
 
SMSU rallied in the bottom of the seventh to pull within one. Engels started the rally with a one out single, moved to second on walk to Stubbs, before Reints followed with a single to load the bases. Following a strikeout, Alfson smacked a bases-clearing double down the left field line to cut the deficit to 7-6.
 
SMSU regained the lead in the eighth as Neale led-off with single and moved to second on a sac bunt by Minett. Following a ground out, Engels reached on a throwing error allowing Neale to come around from third and tie the game. Stubbs then put SMSU in front with a double to the left field wall to score Engels and give the Mustangs the lead at 8-7.
 
WSC mounted its comeback in the ninth off of SMSU relief pitcher Taylor Klingenberg. With one out, three straight singles loaded the bases ending Klingenberg's day. Jake Leighton entered the game and recorded a strikeout for the second out, but Zak Leighton came through with a two-run double to put the Wildcats back in front 9-8.
 
Neale had a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game and the season for the Mustangs.
 
Jake Matthys started on the mound for SMSU and tossed six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
 
SMSU finished game two with 17 hits, with Neale collecting a career-high four hits. Rients finished 4 for 4 and scored two runs. Engels and Stubbs also had multi-hit games with two hits each.
 
In the opener, SMSU started a line-up of nearly all underclassmen with six players having made six or less starts this season, including two making their first career starts.
 
WSC scored a run in the first on a triple and wild pitch and then pushed across three runs in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead off of SMSU starter Brandan Alfson.
 
SMSU wouldn't go away and cut the lead in half in the third with RBI singles by Josh Cook and Shane Sellner.
 
WSC added an insurance run in the seventh to make the score 5-2.
 
SMSU was limited to six hits in the opener with Noah Bluth finishing 2 for 3.
 
Alfson (3-4) recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in his final pitching appearance, while allowing five runs on nine hits in suffering the loss.
 
SMSU finished the season playing 18 games at Alumni Field—its highest total since playing 20 in 2004.