The doubleheader game between Winona State University and Bemidji State University occurred on the Warriors’ home field. The game took place under sunny skies at noon, with the second game starting at 2:30 pm.
Despite losing the first game, Winona State bounced back in the doubleheader to win the second game, which demonstrated their determination out on the field.
First Bemidji Game Recap
The Beavers outnumbered the Winona State Warriors in points, winning 6-1. In the first inning, fourth-year Zach Evenson hit a fair ball off the bat to right field, resulting in a home run that put points on the board for Bemidji State, followed by second-year Beaver Beau Thoma running to score at home plate as well.
The Beavers scored more points in the first inning while second-year Matt Filippi was at bat. He initiated a sacrifice bunt that advanced (redshirt) third-year Hunter Hyden, allowing another run to score. As the first inning came to an end, the Bemidji State Beavers continued to score points in the third and fifth innings.
In the third inning, (redshirt) junior Ben Hefel took his turn at bat, missing the pitched ball three times and striking out for Winona State. Shortly thereafter, fourth-year Joshua Hawksford sent the ball soaring into the air toward center field. A fielder in that area caught the ball, leading to Hawksford’s out. With the third batter being declared out for Winona State, both teams switched positions.
Subsequently, as the Beavers took batting, (redshirt) third-year Noah Drusch hit the ball into the right field area, resulting in a single hit. That led to Thoma, who was on base running to home plate, which scored another run for Bemidji State.
With what seemed to be no luck for Winona State, things slightly turned around in the seventh inning, when senior Josh Gullickson hit a homerun, which was an impactful event for the team.
Second Bemidji Game Recap
Despite Winona State hitting the home run, they still trailed behind by several points in the first game. However, the team quickly regrouped and carried their efforts into the second game. The second game took a turn as Winona State carried and won with 12-1 points against Bemidji State.
During the first inning, (redshirt) freshman Garrett Hietpas reached first base as the Beavers’ fielder chose to throw the ball to another infielder to put out another runner, which happened to be graduate student Cole Fuecker on second. However, that choice led to freshman Easton Arendt scoring a run for Winona State.
Winona State continued scoring more points during the second inning, adding 5 more points to the board. Junior Jack Funke hit a homerun to the right center. The home run was a high-powered move by Winona State, resulting in two runners scoring, which contributed to the team’s score. More batters advanced to the plates, leading to successful runs during the second inning.
During the next two innings, Winona would continue to add points as Arendt hit a ball and delivered a well-placed single up the middle. This advanced fourth-year Josh Hatano to second base, second-year Max Pederson to third, and allowed Funke to score a run for the Warriors.
With the Warriors making a continuous effort and scoring more runs with the remaining innings, the Beavers were able to score one home run by Filippi in the 4th inning. Overall, with Bemidji winning the first game and Winona State winning the second match, both teams put on a great performance and did everything out on the field.
