Northern State baseball delivered a day full of drama on the road, splitting their doubleheader against Winona State in what proved to be a fitting finale to the regular season series. After a tough loss in game one, the Wolves bounced back with a thrilling comeback victory, fueled by late-game heroics from junior standout Dalton Kesti.
Game One: NSU 3, WSU 6
The Wolves jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, as Kesti drew a leadoff walk, swiped second base, and came home on a double down the right-field line by Drew Benson. But Winona answered right back, plating two unearned runs in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead.
Northern tied it up in the second when Easton Rerick singled and later scored on a Kesti base hit. The back-and-forth continued as Winona regained the lead in the bottom of the second, only for Dillon Castellanos to launch a solo homer in the third—his third long ball of the season—to knot the game at 3-3.
The Warriors seized control for good in the sixth, breaking the tie with a three-run homer that made it 6-3. The Wolves went down in order in the seventh, unable to mount a final rally.
Benson led the offense with a 3-for-4 day, including a double and an RBI. Kesti reached base twice and stole a base, while Dylan Soulek also collected three hits.
Game Two: NSU 12, WSU 11
If game one was a pitcher's duel that slipped away, game two was a slugfest that tested the Wolves' resolve. Winona struck first with a run in the bottom of the second, but Northern answered emphatically in the top of the third. Kesti singled to drive in Jack Weidner, Soulek scored on a wild pitch, and Castellanos doubled to bring home Kesti, giving the Wolves a 3-1 lead.
Kesti added to the lead in the fifth with a solo home run—his fourth of the season—making it 4-1. The Wolves then broke the game open in the seventh, scoring three more runs. Soulek was driven in by Benson, Collin Lott singled to plate Kesti, and Jonah Schmidt brought home Benson to push the lead to 7-1.
Winona refused to go quietly, scratching across a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 7-2. But the Wolves kept their foot on the gas in the eighth, as Benson delivered a clutch two-run single up the middle to score both Kesti and Soulek, extending the lead to 9-2. Northern added three more runs in the ninth to build a seemingly comfortable 12-2 cushion.
However, the Warriors staged a furious rally in the bottom of the ninth, plating nine runs to cut the deficit to just one. But the Wolves held on, securing the 12-11 victory and salvaging the split.
It was a day that showcased the highs and lows of baseball—heartbreak in one game, resilience in the next. For Northern State, the split keeps their postseason hopes alive and proves they can battle through adversity, a trait that will serve them well as they head into the final stretch of the season.