Wayne, Neb. --- Wayne State grabbed game one of a NSIC baseball doubleheader with the University of Mary by walk off fashion with a final score of 8-7.  WSC would have the flare for the dramatic again in the second game with another walk off 4-3 win (10 innings) to improve to 11-7 (5-0 NSIC) on the season.  The Marauders fall to 8-9 (0-2 NSIC).

            After scoreless frames by both teams in the first the Marauders got on the scoreboard in a big way putting up six runs in the top half of the inning.  The Wildcats answered with two runs in the bottom half to put the score at 6-2 after two.  Colin Lynam led off the inning with a walk followed by a wild pitch and Noah Roberts single to right to advance him to third, when he was plated by another wild pitch.  WSC put the second run of the inning up after Roberts stole third and a Cam Madsen RBI groundout to make the score 6-2.

            Both squads would go quiet in the third to keep the score 6-2.  The Marauders plated one run in the top of the fourth but the Wildcats responded with four runs to keep the score close at 7-6 after four. 

Wayne State got runners on early in the inning with Roberts reaching on a walk followed by a Nick Barnett and Madsen hit by pitch to load the bases.  Chase Douglas worked a full count walk to bring in the first run of the inning.  Alex Logelin followed suit with a walk of his own to bring Barnett across to make the score 7-4.  Douglas and Madsen would both be brought in after an Andrew Hanson RBI groundout to first and throwing error by the first baseman trying to turn the double-play to make the score 7-6 through four.

            Relief pitcher Josh Renken kept the Marauders bats quiet in the fifth and sixth to keep the score at 7-6 going into the bottom half of the sixth.  Conner Fiene led off the sixth working a full count walk and then advancing to second after a successful sacrifice bunt by Madsen.  Fiene would come around to score and tie the game after back-to-back singles from Douglas and Logelin’s RBI single to make the score 7-7 through six frames.

            Renken worked a clean seventh to keep the score tied at seven going into the bottom of the seventh.  Roberts reached first on a hit by pitch to put the winning run on base for the Wildcats.  Garrett Svoboda was called on to pinch run as the winning run for WSC.  Svoboda stole second and made a heads up play advancing to third after a wide throw by the Marauder catcher to put the winning run on third.  Barnett laced a single down the right field line to walk it off for a final of 8-7.

            Wayne State bats collected four timely hits in the game to go with eight walks.  Douglas, Logelin, Roberts and Barnett each collected one hit in the contest with Chase Douglas reaching base safely with two walks as well.  Logelin led the Wildcats with two RBI’s.

Josh Renken (3-0) recorded the win with his three innings of relief work giving up no hits, no walks and striking out one Marauder.

WSC started right where they left off from the walk off by plating one run in the first to make it a 1-0 advantage through one.  The Wildcats got on the board with a Hanson double down the left field line and being brought in by a Chris Cornish RBI single to left center. 

University of Mary would answer and claim the lead with two runs in the top half and a quiet bottom half for Wayne State made it a 2-1 Marauder lead after two.

The Marauders would have nothing doing in the top half of third while WSC would reclaim the lead plating two runs in the bottom half of the frame.  Cade Lynam led off with a single to center and moved over to second after a Hanson four pitch walk.  After Cade Lynam advanced to third on a fly out and Hanson stealing second both runners were brought in by a Travis Baily 2 RBI single to left making the score 3-2 through three frames.

Both teams’ bats would stay silent in the fourth when in the top of the fifth the Marauders tacked one on to tie the game at 3-3 through five. The bullpens kept the score at 3-3 with a scoreless sixth, seventh and eighth frame to set up for a dramatic finish.

The Marauders had two runners in scoring position with two outs but Wayne State relief pitcher Andrew Staebell worked out of trouble with a groundout to second to keep the score 3-3 and setup yet another walk off potential for the Wildcats in the ninth. The walk off would have to come in extras with the Wildcats stranding the winning run on second to leave the score 3-3 heading to extra innings and some free baseball.

Staebell would do his job in the top half of the 10th by blanking the Marauders to keep it at 3-3 going to the bottom half of the frame.  Andrew Hanson would start the bottom of the 10th with a bang by tattooing a leadoff triple to right to put the winning run on third.  The Wildcats would be storming the field yet again after an RBI sacrifice fly by Colin Lynam to complete the back-to-back walk off for a 4-3 win.

Hanson led WSC going 2 for 4 with three runs scored and the clutch 10th inning triple resulting in the winning run.  Baily paced all Wildcat bats with 2 RBI’s in the contest.

Andrew Staebell takes the win (2-0) with his solid performance out of the pen going two innings, two hits, no runs and one strikeout.  Keean Allen started on the bump going five strong then being relieved by Grant Carl throwing a clean sixth.  Jacob Kneifl would be called upon next tossing two scoreless frames to set up the Staebell win.  

The Wildcats continue their NSIC home stand this weekend hosting St. Cloud State in a three-game series with Saturday’s doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m. followed by a 12 p.m. Sunday nine-inning contest at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne.