WAYNE, Neb. -- Rated 14th in this week's NCBWA Division II Poll, Minnesota State (24-4, 20-3 NSIC) extended its winning streak to seven games with a pair of wins over Wayne State (10-18, 9-15 NSIC) in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action, Saturday.
In game one, senior right-handed pitcher Jon Ludwig led MSU to its sixth win in a row in by way of a 7-1 score before sophomore right-hander Collin Denk pitched eight innings in a 10-2 win for MSU in game two. Second baseman Teddy Petersen led the offensive charge with an 8-for-10 afternoon that saw him score four times.
GAME ONE (7 INNINGS) | Minnesota State 7, Wayne State 1
After Petersen had a lead-off single to start the game, MSU wasted no time using him as the go-ahead run. Senior Joey Werner laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Petersen to second before a pass ball led him to 90 feet from giving MSU the lead. Freshman infielder Adam Schneider capitalized with an RBI groundout that put the Mavericks up 1-0 in the first inning at Wayne.
MSU broke the game open in the fourth with Nick Altermatt hitting a two-run double to left just before Maverick catcher Ben Livorsi hit his third home of the season. Livorsi's third roundtripper of the season was a two-run blast that made it a 5-0 game through four innings.
In the fifth, the Mavericks scored two more runs with RBI singles from Cam Kline and Schneider to go up 7-0.
The Wildcats scored their first run of the day when Brenden Madsen flew out to center field deep enough to score Conner Fiene from third on a sacrifice fly.
The Mavericks claimed the hits battle 11-3 in game one and had one more defensive miscue with two while the Wildcats finished with one.
On the mound for the Mavericks, Ludwig, now 6-1 in eight starts this season, pitched a complete game. The Mavericks ace allowed three hits and a run in the win while striking out six opposing batters in the seven-inning outing.
For the Wildcats, Aidan Breedlove, now 2-3 this season, got the loss on the hill after pitching four innings and allowing 10 hits and seven runs (six earned). He struck out six MSU batters.
GAME TWO (9 INNINGS) | Minnesota State 10, Wayne State 2
The Mavericks struck first again in the opening frame of game two when Ty Denzer hit an infield single to third allowing Schneider to score and put MSU up 1-0.
In the fourth inning, Livorsi came through again with a solo home run to right that made it 2-0 before a fielding error by WSC's first baseman allowed Jack Waletich and Ross Indlecoffer to score. In the bottom half, the Wildcats scored their first run of the second game via a Maverick error. After four frames, the score was 4-1 MSU.
The Mavericks scored twice in the eighth when Werner doubled to make it 6-1.
MSU piled on more insurance runs to secure the likelihood of a win in the ninth with Altermatt hitting his third home run of the season, a bases-loaded walk from Werner and a two-run single from Nathan Berg to left-center to make it 10-1.
The Wildcats added one run in the ninth on a solo home run, but it did not phase the Mavericks as they held on to win game two, 10-2, and increase their winning streak to seven games.
MSU doubled up WSC in hits 14-7 in game two of the doubleheader. The Wildcats had the majority of the errors with three while the Mavericks had one.
Denk made his sixth start for the Mavericks in game two and earned another win to move to a perfect 6-0 this season. In eight innings, Denk allowed one run on six hits and struck out eight WSC batters. In the ninth, Nathan Culley faced five batters, allowed a solo home run and walked one while sealing the win for MSU.
The Wildcats' starting arm was Hunter Wienhoff, now 1-3, who got the loss after surrendering six runs (five earned) on 11 hits. He walked five and struck out eight.
The Mavericks and Wildcats rematch tomorrow for the three-game series finale at 1:30 p.m. in Wayne.
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