Wayne, Neb. — After being shutout in the opener and held to just two hits, the Wayne State baseball team came back in the second game with 11 runs on 13 hits to gain a split against Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Conference baseball played on a chilly Saturday afternoon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne. SMSU won the opener 6-0 followed by an 11-4 Wildcat win in the second contest. WSC is now 4-6 and 3-4 in league play while the Mustangs are 4-5 and 3-4 in NSIC games.
The story of the opener was Southwest Minnesota State lefthander John Bezdicek, who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out 12 while walking just two Wildcats.
Junior outfielder Alex Logelin broke up the no-hit bid with one-out double to center field in the sixth inning while Peyton Barnes had a leadoff single in the seventh for the other Wildcat hit.
SMSU scored three runs in the third followed by single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings for the 6-0 win.
Starter Aidan Breedlove (0-2) suffered the pitching loss in four innings of work. Josh Renken worked the final three innings of relief.
The Wildcats used a consistent scoring attack in the nightcap, scoring runs in six of the eight innings to register an 11-5 win over the Mustangs to gain a split.
CJ Neumann’s RBI single scored Brenden Madsen in the first inning.
Alex Logelin’s two-run double highlighted a three-run second inning, putting the ‘Cats ahead 4-0.
WSC took a 5-1 lead in the third and made in 8-1 in the fourth with three more runs. The ‘Cats had just one hit in the fourth, a double by Madsen, but took advantage of one SMSU error, three walks and a hit batter.
Bryce Bisenius delivered a two-run single in the fifth inning, giving the ‘Cats a commanding 10-1 lead.
SMSU scored one run in the sixth and two in the seventh to make the score 10-4.
Wayne State’s final run came in the eighth on a Kaleb Holm RBI single and the Mustangs added one run in the ninth for the 11-5 final score.
Madsen led Wayne State’s 13 hit attack going 3 for 6 with a double and two runs scored. Logelin ended 2 for 5 with a double, two RBI and two run scored. CJ Neumann and Holm each added two hits for the Wildcats.
Senior starter Hunter Wienhoff (1-1) worked seven strong innings for the win, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Ryan Petersen and Nathan Anderson each worked one inning of relief.
The two teams will play another doubleheader Sunday starting at 12 p.m. at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne. The first game is a conference game (9 innings) followed by a 7-inning non-conference game at 2:30 p.m.
