GAME ONE BOX SCORE / GAME TWO BOX SCORE

Wayne, NE – Steve Pletan drove home the game winning run in extra innings as the University of Mary opened Northern Sun play with a 4-3 road win over Wayne State College. The Wildcats responded with a 12-7 victory in game two four a doubleheader split.
 
In a game scheduled for seven innings, the Marauders would need eight to snap their six-game losing streak, using a little help from the Wildcats.
 
With one out in the eighth inning, Austin Grunstad singled and moved to third on a wild thrown on a failed pickoff attempt. After a walk to Sam Salveson put runners on the corners, Pletan delivered a single to left field, scoring Grunstad for a 4-3 U-Mary lead.
 
Justin Beranak led off the bottom of the inning with a walk for Wayne State against Salveson. After Berenak was bunted to second, freshman Travis Famias came on in relief and retired the next two Wildcats to record his second save of the season.
 
A close game throughout, the Wildcats posted two runs in the first inning to claim the early advantage.
 
The Marauders exploded for three runs in the sixth to take the lead. Casey Herback singled to lead off the inning. Grunstad doubled to left center and Herback would score on a bad throw. James Carroll then crushed a two-run home run to left center for a 3-2 U-Mary lead. The advantage would be short-lived as the Wildcats evened the in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Grunstad and Carroll each posted two hits, combining for half the Marauders total. Grunstad scored twice and Carroll drove home two runs.
 
Travis Parsons had two hits, scored twice and drove home a run for WSC. Jake Ritzdorf also had two hits.
 
Michael Vollrath was solid on the hill for U-Mary, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. Salveson picked up the win after throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
 
After rallying to win the opener, the Marauders were unable to hold a four-run lead in a 12-7 loss in the second contest that featured 19 runs, 23 hits and seven errors.
 
U-Mary struck for three runs in the first inning. Herback led off with a single and Derek Sommerville followed with a walk. Carroll drove home the first run of the game with a base hit and a Pletan groundout brought home the second. A throwing error would bring home the final run of the inning.
 
After the Wildcats scored once in the second, the Marauders tallied twice in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. An Alex Deyle sacrifice bunt delivered the first run and Herbeck single to second drove home the second.
 
The lead soon evaporated as the Wildcats struck for two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
 
The Marauders claimed one more lead in the game. Kyal Williams reached base after he was hit by a pitch and Marice Burrough came on as a pinch runner. Burrough would steal second and go to third on a sacrifice before racing home on a wild pitch for a 6-5 U-Mary lead.
 
A single error in the sixth inning for the Marauders would cost the Marauders the game. With Brad Horan on in relief for U-Mary, Ritzdorf led off with a single for the Wildcats, moved to second on a passed ball and scored the tying run when Horan threw the ball away on a ball hit by Luke Abkes. Following a walk to Brett Keim, Horan retired the next two hitters. Making use of the extra out from earlier in the inning, the Wildcats scored six more times – all unearned – on two walks, two singles and two doubles.
 
Down by six, U-Mary scored just once in the seventh, a two-out RBI single by Duane Kiyota Jr.
 
Herback and Pletan both had two hits for the Marauders. Carroll would score twice and drive in one run.
 
Ritzdorf led all players with four hits for Wayne State. He scored three times and drove in two.
 
The Marauders (2-14 overall, 1-1 NSIC) and Wildcats (10-6, 1-1) complete their four-game series with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 25.
 
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