Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

WAYNE, Neb. – Wayne State used a pair of strong pitching performances to earn a 6-2 victory in game one and then build a 10-2 lead in the ninth inning of game two—before play was suspended due to lightning—over Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference baseball on Saturday at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex.
 
WSC is close to wrapping up its 13^th win in its last 14 games since losing three straight to begin conference play. The two clubs will resume game two and then conclude the series on Sunday starting at 12 p.m.
 
The three-game set was scheduled to be played in Marshall, but was moved due to field conditions at Alumni Field.
 
In the opener, the Wildcats (21-8, 12-4 NSIC) snapped a scoreless game in the top of third with a pair of runs on two hits and one Mustang error.
 
WSC carried the two-run lead into the sixth when it added two more runs on two hits and one SMSU error to move the lead to 4-0.
 
WSC ace pitcher Aiden Breedlove, now 6-2 on the season, carried a shutout into the bottom of the sixth before the Mustangs (5-16, 4-12 NSIC) were able to break through. Ben Heichel led off the inning with a single and two batters later Jake Hendricks hit a two-run homer, his second home run of the season, to cut the lead in half at 4-2.
 
WSC came right back with its own two-run homer in the top of the seventh off of reliever Josh Meyer to make the score 6-2.
 
John Bezdicek (1-3) pitched six innings and suffered the loss for the Mustangs. He allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits while recording six strikeouts and walking one.
 
In game two, the Wildcats hit four home runs and added three doubles as part of their 13-hit attack to build a 10-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth. WSC scored two runs in the third, a single in fifth and then hit a three-run home run in the sixth to blow the game open.
 
WSC starting pitcher Hunter Wienhoff kept SMSU scoreless on six hits into the ninth inning before the Mustangs snapped the shutout bid with the help of two errors. Jayden Fleck started the rally with a one-out single before moving to second on a WSC throwing error following a ground ball by Hendricks. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. After a line out for the second out, Brady Lanoue reached on a two-base fielding error by the Wildcats' first baseman to score two runs. Matt Bezdicek and Derek Smith would then both walk to load the bases before lightning suspended the game.
 
Cole Petersen made the start on the mound for the Mustangs and matched a season-high 6 1/3 innings allowing seven runs on nine hits with five strikeouts.
 
SMSU has seven hits in the nightcap with Fleck collecting two hits to lead the club.
 
WSC is one out away from winning its 14^th straight game between the two teams since the 2015 season