TUCSON, Ariz. – Southwest Minnesota State senior right-handed pitcher Kolby Kiser set a school record with 16 strikeouts, but Walsh (Ohio) rallied with single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to earn a 2-1 victory in non-conference baseball on Saturday night at Empire High School.
 
The game was added to the schedule earlier on Saturday following the cancellation of games on Friday due to rain in the area.
 
Kiser finished the game firing eight innings and allowing one run on four hits with one walk. He tossed 117 pitches with an impressive 84 strikes and carried a shutout into the eighth inning before the Cavaliers tied the game with a two-out run-scoring single.
 
Kiser broke the previous school record held by Adam Schrader, who struck out 15 versus Winona State in the NSIC tournament on May 7, 2009. Kiser, along with two relievers, combined to strike out 19 in the game helping set a new school team record. The previous mark was 18 versus Mount Marty during the 2018 season.
 
WU (6-5), which defeated SMSU on Tuesday afternoon, took the lead in the top of the ninth behind a one-out solo home run from Jax Miller off SMSU reliever Shay Endres (1-1).
 
SMSU (6-8) was limited to three hits and struck out 11 times. WU pitcher Nick Lallathin (3-1) was impressive in relief firing seven innings and allowing an unearned run with nine strikeouts and one walk.
 
SMSU plated its lone run in the third inning with Jake Tauer hitting a one-out double and later scoring on a two-out wild pitch. The Mustangs had a chance to add to the lead in the fourth putting two runners on with no outs, but failed to score.
 
The score remained 1-0 until the eighth when WU used a leadoff single and a sac bunt to put the tying run in scoring position. Following a pop out for the second out, Brady Maciak tied the game with a single up the middle.
 
Endres entered the game in the ninth and struck out the first batter he faced before allowing the go-ahead home run that just went over the fence down the right field line. WU later loaded the bases with one out, but Cameron Jensen came in relief and kept the deficit to one run with a pair of strikeouts.
 
SMSU would put the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth with a two-out single by Peyton Nash, but Lallathin ended the game with a ground out.
 
SMSU was limited to three hits with Tauer, Nash and Jaxson Haase collecting one each.
 
SMSU returns to action on Sunday concluding its spring trip with a pair of nine-game innings versus Hamline (2:30 p.m. CDT) and Macalester (6 p.m. CDT).