Baseball starts NSIC play with room to improve
Wildcats go 1-3 against Minot State during first weekend of conference games
Photo By Regan Carriere Wayne State’s baseball team lost the weekend series with Minot State, 1-3. The ’Cats weekend was highlighted during the final contest when WSC put up 15 runs in one game. WSC continued its hot streak, winning against William Jewell, 7-5 on Tuesday.
March 23, 2017
The Wayne State College baseball team got off to a shaky start in conference play this past weekend, going 1-3 against Minot State.
WSC lost both games of the doubleheader Saturday, losing 7-3 in the first game and 11-1 in eight innings in the night cap.
“The first day we just didn’t hit at all; our approaches to the plate just weren’t very good,” Head Coach Alex Koch said.
In the first game on Saturday, WSC took a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning before Minot State scored five unanswered runs.
Senior Bobby St. Pierre (1-2) suffered the pitching loss. He was charged with six runs on seven hits on 5 and 1/3 innings.
The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader saw Minot State starter Reilly O’Rourke take a no-hitter into the seventh inning. WSC managed to put together two hits in the final innings and scored its lone run on a wild pitch in the eighth.
WSC had beaten Minot once before earlier in the season, but the Beavers made some effective adjustments for the series.
“I just think they did a really good job with two strikes. They put balls in play and they just found holes. That’s baseball sometimes,” Koch said. “We didn’t help ourselves out defensively; we played poor defensively all weekend and that’s what allowed them to take the series.”
Sunday saw a much-improved offensive performance from the ’Cats, as they were able to put together 20 runs, 15 of which came in the second game.
Senior lefty Teague McFadden tossed a complete game during the second outing on Sunday, allowing only four hits on 89 pitches.
“We did a really good job of getting runners on and then hitting runners in. The early games, we set the table, but we just didn’t get the big hits to get guys in,” Koch said. “It’s just kind of how the old saying goes, that hitting is contagious, and it held true for that last game.”
On Tuesday the ’Cats headed down to Liberty, Mo., to face William Jewell. WSC came away with the victory, 7-5. The Wildcats built a lead (5-1) that was ultimately too much for the Cardinals to overcome.
Wayne State is now 9-6 and looks to keep the momentum rolling into this weekend.
“On Sunday we have St. Cloud, who is one of the best teams in the conference, coming down to our place,” Koch said. “We were expecting to take this series this past weekend, so we need to take a game or two that we might not have away from them.”
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