Spencer Ellingson / Winonan

Winona State University’s baseball team had a full, and for the most part, victorious week, winning three games, tying one and losing two.

The Warriors started out the week with a doubleheader on Thursday at Loughrey Field in Winona against the Augustana University Vikings.

Although the Warriors left Thursday evening empty handed, head coach Kyle Poock was still optimistic.

“We lost, which is never a good thing,” Poock said. “But they were close games and Augustana is the best in our conference, so there was a positive to it.”

The Warriors started off by dropping the first game 6-3.The Vikings scored a combined five runs in the sixth and seventh innings to break out of a tied game.

“We, again, had errors late in the game,” senior Tyler Nehring said. “That’s what we cannot do.”

First-year Brett Herber was handed the loss. He pitched five innings allowing three runs on six hits. Sophomore Joe Kubera gave up three runs on three hits in the first and a third innings.

The Warriors attempted a late-game comeback when they scored two runs in the seventh before giving up the last two outs to end the game.

The Warriors hit three doubles on nine hits, but were unable to get a triple or home run for the fourth time in 21 conference games.

The Warriors came up short in their 12-11 loss in the second game of the doubleheader.

After a four-run first inning for the Warriors, the Vikings answered with five runs in the second, taking away the Warriors’ only lead of the game.

Junior Hunter Kruse was given his second loss of the season after allowing the game-winning run in the top of the seventh.

Nehring and sophomore Taylor Field both hit a home run over the right field wall.

Senior Mitch Voter hit a two out double to score sophomore Paul Mutch in the ninth inning, putting the Warriors within one point of the Vikings. Voter, who had the potential to score the game-tying run, then was stranded at second as Nehring hit directly to center field. The Warriors were left one run shy of forcing extra innings.

Moving into the weekend, the Warriors won three games and tied one against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars.

The Warriors managed 17 hits in their 14-10 extra innings victory during game one of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The tenth inning saw the warriors cross the plate five times after four shutout innings.

Sophomores Taylor Field and Kipp Youngquist both hit home runs; Youngquist’s was a three-run home run in the top of the tenth to seal the game.

The Warriors went through six pitchers in the game.

Senior Jay Voter was given the start, however, only lasted three and two thirds innings.

Voter was given the save and first-year Jacob Watzka was awarded his first win of the season.

“The pitching wasn’t great all weekend,” Poock said. “Neither was the fielding partly because of the rough conditions and partly because of dumb errors. If we want to win down the stretch this can’t happen. Luckily we had the hitting we needed.”

The Warriors achieved a 8-6 win in game two on Saturday.

Although he gave up five runs in four innings, junior Daniel Karlin-Kamin received his second win in seven attempts this season.

Mitch Voter was granted the save since he sent all three batters he faced back to the dugout in the bottom of the seventh.

Nehring had the highlight hit of the game with a two-run triple in the top of the third. Mitch Voter hit four home runs on Sunday.

The Warriors crossed home plate 21 times in seven innings during their 21-9 victory in game one on Sunday.

Voter hit three home runs in his five plate appearances.

Voter, Nehring and Field all had two hits in the Warriors nine-run fourth inning.

Sophomore Mitchell Stalsberg was awarded the win after pitching five innings and only gave up eleven hits.

The Warriors finished the game with seven extra base hits and had 26 total hits.

“From top to bottom [of the lineup] everyone was hitting,” Nehring said. “We pieced together a dominant and very important win as the season nears the end.”

The second game only went six innings due to a thunderstorm.

The Warriors had to settle for a 7-7 final, which Poock called an unusual game.

“A tie game is a rare thing in baseball,” Poock said. “It doesn’t necessarily hurt us but a win would have been a lot better in such tight standings.

Junior Parker Holmstrom allowed only two batters to reach base on one hit in the two innings he pitched.

Mitch Voter hit his 13th home run of the season, his fourth of the day, and now leads the Warriors in most home runs this season.

“It’s a feeling you can’t explain,” Voter said. “But the pitches kept coming in high and the wind was blowing out; its hard to have a better day than that.”