MANKATO, MN – A 40+ regular season is nearing an end as the Wayne State College baseball team played another conference opponent looking to move up the rankings.
From Bowyer Field in Mankato, Minnesota, WSC visited Minnesota State-Mankato on Tuesday.
The host Mavericks used a pair of walk-off victories to win 5-4 in the seven inning game followed by a grand slam to win 14-10 in 11 innings. Minnesota State-Mankato is now 32-15 (27-9 NSIC) while WSC fell to 25-19 (20-14 NSIC).
In the opening game, Minnesota State-Mankato held a 2-1 lead after the first inning. The Wildcats posted a three-run third inning to lead 4-2. Following three scoreless innings, the Mavericks scored three runs to walk-off with the 5-4 victory in the seventh. Minnesota State also out hit Wayne State, 10-5.
Trey Wells recorded a two-run homerun while Colin Lynam singled twice, doubled, drove in two runs and scored for WSC. Chase Douglas singled and scored twice.
Braden Cannon (2-1) suffered the loss in the final third of an inning allowing three earned runs off three hits while striking out one batter. Corbin Kirk started the opening five innings allowing two earned runs off six hits while striking out four batters. Eli Crnkovich worked an inning allowing one hit while striking out one batter.
During the second outing, Minnesota State-Mankato built an early lead after leading 2-1 in the second inning and then 5-2 after three innings. WSC began to chip away at the deficit with a run in the fifth and then recorded a four-run sixth inning to lead 7-5. Following a Maverick run in the seventh, the Wildcats added three more runs in the top of the eighth to lead 10-6.
Minnesota State-Mankato tied the game with a four-run ninth, neither team scored in the 10th and a walk-off grand slam in the 11th gave the victory to the host Mavericks, 14-10 who also won the hit department, 18-14.
Cade Lynam singled, doubled, recorded a solo homerun, totaled two RBI and two runs scored; Quinn McCafferty singled three times, drove in two runs and scored; Colin Lynam posted a three-run homerun as Alex Calabrese singled, doubled and drove in a run. Kaden Young also singled twice and scored.
Cam Madsen singled, drove in a run and scored twice; Chase Douglas singled, drove in a run and scored as Kyler Essink singled and scored twice.
Wayne State College used seven pitchers with Josh Kilzer (3-1) suffering the loss in the 11th not recording an out while allowing four earned runs off two hits as well as walking and hitting one batter each. Kolt Davis started the opening four innings allowing five earned run off seven hits while striking out one batter, walking four and hitting one.
Braden Sweet followed for two innings allowing five hits while striking out two batters; Kadyn Van Hill worked an inning allowing a run off one hit while striking out and walking one batter each; Crnkovich pitched an inning allowing two earned runs while walking one batter and hitting three; Calabrese came in for a third of an inning allowing two earned runs off two hits while walking three batters as Jacob Kneifl saw action for an inning and two-thirds allowing one hit while walking one batter.
The Wayne State College baseball team will close out their regular season at Winona State University on Friday, May 3 at 1:30/3:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, May 4 at noon. The NSIC Baseball Tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 8 in Bismarck, North Dakota.
