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Western Illinois University Athletics

Baseball
Rachael Keating
6
Winner North Dakota State NDSU 17-8
4
Western Illinois WIU 2-21
Winner
North Dakota State NDSU
17-8
6
Final
4
Western Illinois WIU
2-21
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
North Dakota State NDSU 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 3 6 7 1
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 0

W: J. Drew (0-0) L: Rosenfeld, Kyle (0-0)

Game Recap: Baseball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Late Rally Leads To Game Two Loss

North Dakota State scored three runs in the ninth to take game two 6-4.

MACOMB ILL.- Western Illinois baseball (0-5, 2-21) couldn't quite finish the job in its Saturday matchup against North Dakota State (5-0, 17-8), falling 6-4. The Leathernecks led throughout most of the contests, but a three-run ninth made the difference for the Bison.
 
Jace Warkentien kept North Dakota State quiet in the first three innings, and it was WIU striking first with a two-run third. Max Slavens led the inning off with a double to right-center, and a walk from Dillon Sears put two runners on. Kory Olsen drove in Slavens with a single for his team-leading 15th RBI of the season to put the Leathernecks up 1-0. Sears scored later in the third on a stolen base to give WIU a two-run cushion.
 
North Dakota State responded with a solo shot in the top of the fourth to cut the lead in half, but Western Illinois answered with another two-run inning. A walk from Derek Botaletto and a single from Slavens put runners on the corners to set up Nick Mitchell. Mitchell slapped a hit down the left-field line that he narrowly snuck past the glove of NDSU's left fielder to score both baserunners and put Western Illinois ahead 4-1.
 
Warkentien surrendered a pair of walks in the fifth but pitched out of it to keep Western Illinois ahead by three. Western Illinois got back-to-back singles from Olsen and Gage Cruz to begin the bottom of the fifth but couldn't produce any runs.
 
North Dakota State used another big swing on a solo home run to left to get back within two in the sixth. Kyle Rosenfeld took over for Warkentien in the seventh, but a leadoff walk came back to haunt him. A two-out single by NDSU scored another run to trim WIU's lead down to 4-3.
 
Rosenfeld responded with an efficient 1-2-3 eighth inning of work but couldn't repeat the same success in the ninth. A leadoff walk and sac bunt put the tying run in scoring position for the Bison to begin the ninth. The next man up for North Dakota State lined a single up the middle to tie the game at 4-4. Another walk forced WIU to make a pitching change, and Jack Bell came in to try and keep the game tied. Bell struck out his first batter but surrendered a double during North Dakota State's next at-bat. The two-bagger scored two runs, giving North Dakota State a 6-4 lead. The Leathernecks went three up, three down in the ninth to close the deal.
 
Although he didn't earn a win, fifth-year senior Jace Warkentien had another career day on the mound for Western Illinois. Warkentien pitched six innings, allowed two runs, four hits, three walks, and struck out 10. His 10 strikeouts matched his career-high in a game. It's the third time he has achieved the 10 strikeout mark in his career.
 
Offensively, Kory Olsen led the way with his second straight three-hit performance. Olsen finished 3-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Cleanup hitter Gage Cruz went 2-4 with a triple, walk, and a stolen base.
 
Max Slavens played in just his second game of the season but had a big game in the nine spot, going 2-3 with a double and two runs scored. Nick Mitchell hit 1-5 with his two-run double.
 
The Leathernecks and the Bison conclude the series tomorrow at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium at 1 p.m. CT.
 
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