WINONA, Minn. -- The Minnesota State baseball team finished off a three-game series sweep over the Winona State Warriors with a pair of wins, 12-4 and 5-4, in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference baseball doubleheader at Loughrey Field, Saturday afternoon.
Following the pair of victories, MSU now owns a 25-5 overall record this season with a 18-3 mark in league games to take over first from Augustana (29-7-1, 19-4 NSIC) in the conference standings. The Warriors fell to 9-17 and 7-8 in the NSIC with the pair of losses.
GAME ONE (7 INNINGS) | Minnesota State 12, Winona State 4
The Mavericks dominated in game two, putting up 12 runs against the Warriors a second-straight game for a 12-4 victory after winning 12-0 in game one of the series, Friday. Sophomore infielder Aidan Byrne led the way for MSU in the first game of the doubleheader, batting three-for-three with a double, three RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Byrne gave the Mavericks an early 2-0 lead after he pulled a double down the leftfield line to score a pair of runs. After one inning of play, the Mavericks led the Warriors 2-0.
Junior centerfielder Ryan Wickman launched his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to left, in the second inning to extend MSU's lead to 3-0.
In the fourth inning, MSU broke things wide open by scoring six runs on six hits to take a commanding 9-0 lead in the score column.
The sixth inning saw the Mavericks cap their scoring in game one with three more runs thanks to a base knock for one run from Byrne before senior first baseman Ross Indlecoffer doubled to left to bring in two more runs. The Mavericks led 12-0 after the sixth inning.
In the seventh inning, WSU mounted a rally and scored four runs on five hits with help from a Maverick error but were held there as MSU held on to win, 12-4, in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
On the hill for MSU, junior two-way threat Nick Altermatt made his eighth start of the season and improved his record to a team-high 7-0 after he threw five innings of shutout baseball, allowing four hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.
MSU outhit WSU, 16-9, in game one. The Mavericks had the only error in the contest. The Warriors left more runners on base by a 9-7 margin in the game.
GAME TWO (9 INNINGS) | Minnesota State 5, Winona State 4
WSU made its way into the score column first in game two when Dane Weiland singled to left to score one run before Austin Beyer grounded into a double play, which allowed another run to score. After the first inning of play in game two, the Warriors carried a 2-0 advantage.
In the second inning, MSU grabbed its first lead of the game with one swing of the bat from Indlecoffer. Indlecoffer's third home run of the season, and second of the series, flew out to left for three runs and gave the Mavericks a 3-2 lead.
Weiland tied the game for the Warriors in the fifth inning at 3-3 before Joshua Hawksford scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning to give WSU a 4-3 lead.
The Mavericks reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh inning, 5-4, on an RBI single to left hit by Wickman before Spencer Wright came into score on a passed ball.
MSU secured the win with solid pitching as senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Uner took the mound to start the seventh and shutout the Warriors the final three frames for a three-inning save as the Mavericks defeated the Warriors 5-4 in the series finale at Loughrey Field.
Junior right-handed pitcher Collin Denk started on the bump for MSU in game two and pitched five complete innings where he surrendered three runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out five Warriors' hitters. In relief, Jack Brown (1-1) pitched a scoreless sixth inning with one hit allowed and was the eventual pitcher of record.
MSU was outhit 9-6 by WSU in the series finale. However, the Warriors came down with more errors in the contest by a 2-1 margin. WSU had more runners stranded aboard by an 8-7 clip as well.
In its next action, Minnesota State hosts Concordia-St. Paul for a midweek doubleheader at Bowyer Field. The seven and nine-inning series begins Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at Bowyer Field in Mankato, Minn.
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