The Wildcats improved their season by earning three wins this weekend against Minnesota Crookston.

The first game of four was a Wildcat win 6-0, and it can be attributed to Eric Browning, who pitched his first shutout, throwing 8 strikeouts and walking 3.

Consistent hitting was also key in that first game. Quinn McGill had two singles, Kevin Anderson got himself home with a big hit, while John Roberts, Tanner Simons and Zak Leighton all contributed with doubles.

The second game of the weekend was a little bit closer, as the Wildcats didn’t have the lead going into the ninth inning.

Trailing 5-3, the Wildcats took advantage of Crookston’s errors, capitalizing on a pair of walks before a base hit by Simons brought in McGill.

The Wildcats led 7-5, but Crookston wasn’t going down without a fight.

Using a few singles to narrow the Wildcat lead by one, Crookston began to rally but relieving pitcher Connor Keating came in and struck out the final batter to end the game, 7-6.

The third game for the Wildcats looked promising early, as Ackerman hit two solo home runs, while Johnson sent two runners home.

Unfortunately, during the seventh inning, Crookston managed to hit a three-run homer and also got a single to tie the score at 6-6.

The Wildcats couldn’t quite shut Crookston down as they continued to bat well, and ultimately ended the game with a 7-6 loss to Crookston.

The Wildcats didn’t stay in sour spirits for long as they advanced to the final game of the weekend.

The first couple innings were even for both teams, but finally in the third inning the Wildcats started to pull away with a two-run homer from Ackerman. Leighton also added two runs off a single in the fourth inning to give the Wildcats a 6-3 advantage.

The Wildcats had a little extra gas left in the tank, as Roberts smacked a single run homer in the seventh inning to end the game 8-4.

Ackerman had a perfect Sunday, bringing in a homer, a triple and three RBIs. Roberts also batted well, extending his season-high hitting streak to 10 games. Ackerman has hit 13 home runs this season and aspires to increase that number.

“I’m really just trying to put a short, quick swing on good pitches,” Ackerman said.

The Wildcats will be on the road again this weekend, when they head to Augustana.

“This is a big series for us and we’re looking to win it.” Ackerman said.

__________________________________________________________

Game 1

Score by Innings                              R H E

Wayne State (Neb.).. 200 012 1 – 6 10 0

Minnesota Crookston. 000 000 0 – 0 3 1

Game 2

Score by Innings                                  R H E

Wayne State (Neb.).. 010 001 014 – 7 10 3

Minnesota Crookston. 030 000 021 – 6 9 2

Game 3

Score by Innings                              R H E

Wayne State (Neb.).. 002 010 3 – 6 14 2

Minnesota Crookston. 001 200 4 – 7 10 1

Game 4

Score by Innings                                   R H E

Wayne State (Neb.).. 202 210 100 – 8 12 2

Minnesota Crookston. 111 100 000 – 4 8 2