PHOTO GALLERY
DETROIT - In its first home and GLIAC game of the 2010 season, the Wayne State University baseball team (7-7, 1-0 GLIAC) came from behind to defeat Ashland University (10-7, 2-1 GLIAC),
12-11, on Friday afternoon.
Paul LaMantia's (Tecumseh, Ont./St. Anne's) walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the ninth capped off a six-run rally over the final three innings. LaMantia finished the game 3-for-4 with a walk, four RBI (all in the seventh or later) and two runs scored.
He was one of four Warriors to post three hits in the three hour, 36 minute marathon.
Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland) and
Alex Trojan (Fenton, Mich./Hartland) each had three hits, as did
Cameron Walker (Clinton Twp., Mich./De La Salle).
Wayne State totaled 20 hits in the win, its first 20-plus hit performance since May 16, 2008, a 25-14 loss to Ashland in the NCAA Regionals.
Ashland opened up a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Wayne State was quick to tie the score in the bottom half. Wiseman drove in
Brad Guenther (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) with a single up the middle, and
Ryan LaPensee (La Salle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) scored on an error.
An RBI bunt single by Guenther in the second inning gave WSU a 3-2 lead, which held until the Eagles plated two runs in the fourth and four in the fifth.
Ashland's Ben Minard, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, led off the fourth with a home run. Two-run singles by Austin Ritson and Matt McAllester in the fifth put Ashland ahead, 8-3.
With runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Trojan drove in LaMantia with a base hit to start a three-run frame. Wiseman came in on a grounder by
John Skaggs (Adrian, Mich.), and
Kyle Vesey (Brighton, Mich.) brought Trojan home with a double.
A two-run single by Evan Melendez highlighted a three-run seventh inning for the Eagles, who took a 11-6 lead.
LaMantia's leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh narrowed the gap to four. In the eighth, singles by Walker and
Andrew Ciennik (Waterford, Mich./Mott) made it a three-run game.
With runners on first and third, LaMantia laced a one-out double to left center, bringing in Ciennik. The rally continued as Trojan's base hit to right scored LaPensee.
Walker led off the ninth with a double to left, but was thrown out at home on
Phil Swanson's (Rochester Hills, Mich./Stoney Creek) base hit to right for the second out. An infield single by LaPensee and a throwing error put two runners in scoring position for LaMantia, who singled both in.
Billy Hurley (Mississauga, Ont./St. Aloysius Gonzaga) allowed just one hit and one walk over 2.2 relief innings to earn his first victory of the year. He came in for starter
Justin Mazur (Macomb, Mich./De La Salle), who struck out seven over 6.1 innings but allowed 10 earned runs on 11 hits and four walks.
The Warriors and Eagles will meet in a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon.