WINONA, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team rebounded from two losses on Friday, including an extra-inning setback, to salvage the final game of a three-game series earning a 10-8 victory over Winona State on Saturday afternoon at Loughrey Field.
SMSU snapped a three-game skid with the victory and improves to 22-15 overall, 17-13 NSIC, while WSU drops to 19-21 overall, 15-15 NSIC.
Caleb Gardow led SMSU's 12-hit attack with three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, while
Evan Behn,
Jared Cortez and
Brock Woitalla each collected two hits. Woitalla had two RBIs and scored a pair of runs, while Cortez also crossed the plate twice.
SMSU jumped to an early 3-0 lead and later held leads of 7-2 and 10-5, but WSU would not go away and put the tying run at second base in the ninth inning, but Mustang closer
Cameron Jensen sealed the victory with a strikeout.
Behn put SMSU on the board in the first with an RBI single to plate
Owen Latendresse, who reached base via a throwing error on the WSU third baseman. SMSU added to the lead in the second with Cortez and Woitalla hitting back-to-back singles to start the inning.
Levi Lampert later in the frame smacked a two-run single to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.
WSU cut the deficit to 3-2 after four innings before SMSU used a game-changing top of the fifth with a huge two-out rally to open a big lead. With
Cory Bantam at second and Behn at first with each collecting singles, Cortez came through with a run-scoring single to make the score 4-2. Woitalla followed with a two-run double, while Gardow drilled an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-2. Latendresse capped the inning with a hit by pitch with the bases loaded to give the Mustangs an 8-2 lead.
WSU answered with a three-run fifth inning to chase SMSU starting pitcher
Shay Endres from the game with two outs.
Bennett Knapper came into the game with a runner on second and recorded the final out on line drive to first base.
Leading 8-5 in the sixth, Behn started another SMSU rally with a walk and moved to third on a
Carter Lang single. Cortez walked to load the bases and with one out Gardow reached on an infield single to plate score Lang.
Henry Hammrich followed with a bases loaded walk to make the score 10-5.
The SMSU offense went quite in the final three innings, while WSU rallied plating two runs in the seventh behind a two-out, two-run double to cut the deficit to 10-7.
Jameson Quinn fired a scoreless eighth inning for the Mustangs before Jensen entered the close the game. The Warriors collected three hits and scored a run to pull to within 10-8. With runners on second and third and two out, Jensen sealed his fifth save of the season recording a strikeout on a 3-2 pitch.
Endres pitched the first 4 2/3 innings and allowed eight hits, five runs (four earned) with five strikeouts and three walks. Knapper (2-2) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings relief allowing one run on two hits. Noah Cekella gave up one run in 2/3 innings, while Quinn struck out one in one shutout inning.
Alex Berreth finished 3 for 4 with four RBIS to lead the Warriors, who finished with 14 hits.
SMSU returns to Legion Field on Wednesday hosting Augustana in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. It is the start of the final five home games of the season, as the Mustangs will host UMary in a three-game series next Saturday and Sunday.
