Box Score SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --- Top-seed Minnesota State saw its 17-game winning streak come to an end in the opening round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament Wednesday afternoon as it fell, 2-1, to eighth-seeded Wayne State at Karras Park.
 
MSU drops to 40-8 overall and will now play fourth-seeded Concordia University this evening at 7 p.m. at Sioux Falls Stadium in an elimination game. Wayne State improves to 26-22 and will play fifth-seeded Winona State tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
Minnesota State struck first with a run in the home half of the first inning. Freshman Eric Peterson drilled a leadoff single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt; before junior Max Waletich plated him on a fielder's choice. WSC retaliated in the next half inning as junior Michael Herman reached via a wild pitch on a strikeout and scored on freshman Jake Perez's RBI double to right-center. Perez scored two batters later on a fielder's choice to the right side giving the Wildcats a 2-1 edge.
 
From there, NSIC Pitcher of the Year, senior righthander Jason Hoppe, settled into a groove retiring 13 consecutive batters until a one-out single by Perez in the top of the seventh. WSC sophomore righthander Eric Browning was just as strong tossing six consecutive zeros on the scoreboard as MSU senior Parker Sullivan lined into a double play to end the seventh on a laser to the first baseman.
 
Hoppe shut down the Wildcats in the eighth and the ninth, while Browning returned the favor in the eighth before junior Curtis Bussard took the hill in the bottom of the ninth. The Mavericks loaded the bases against Bussard, but he responded with a strikeout to quell the threat and advance the Wildcats to the next round.
 
Hoppe (10-2) fired his sixth complete game striking out nine while scattering four hits and two earned runs, and Browning (8-3) tossed eight frames of one-run ball with six hits and three strikeouts.
 
Peterson and senior Stetson Olson each tallied a pair of hits for MSU in the defeat.