NORMAL, Ill. - The 2011 season came to an end for the Wayne State University baseball team (35-21) as the Warriors fell, 13-5, to No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State University (52-3) in the championship game of the NCAA Midwest Regional at Corn Crib Stadium.

In the fourth postseason meeting between the two teams, the Warriors established an early 4-1 lead before the Lakers scored six runs in the fourth inning and another four runs in the fifth to advance to the NCAA Division II Championship for the fifth time since 2003.

Wayne State, playing in its fourth NCAA Regional in program history, knocked off three GLVC teams – Southern Indiana, Missouri S&T and Northern Kentucky – after taking GVSU to the limit in a 10-inning loss Thursday.

Sunday's meeting, which included a weather delay of two and a half hours in the seventh inning, ended with GVSU's 32nd straight win.

Two freshmen, Bill Maple and Kirk Stambaugh (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview), started on the mound and both were knocked out of the game early. Maple, the GLIAC Freshman of the Year, was tagged for four runs on five hits in 2.2 innings.

Brad Guenther (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) led off the game with his first of three hits on the afternoon, and eventually came in to score as GV conceded a run on a double play. After Jared Cowan tied the score with his first of three RBI in the bottom of the second, the Warriors responded with three runs in the third.

Caleb Dalman (Hudsonville, Mich.) drove in a run on a groundout, while an RBI triple by #C.J. Maszal# (Allen Park, Mich.) and an RBI single by Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland), one of two hits on the day for the senior catcher, made it a 4-1 game.

The Lakers tallied 10 runs over the fourth and fifth, and added two more in the seventh as play resumed following the rain delay. GVSU totaled 19 hits, five of which came from Region Player of the Year Cody Grice, who was just 1-for-11 in the tournament entering Sunday.

Grice matched Cowan's total of three RBI, while Cory Phillips – playing in his hometown of Normal – finished with two RBI as did Steve Anderson. Giancarlo Brugnoni, Dan Ponegalek and Cowan had three hits apiece.

Christopher Whitney, who replaced Maple on the mound, finished the final 6.1 innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits, retiring 12 in a row entering the ninth inning.

Three Warriors were named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team, including Wiseman who was 7-for-20 and played behind the plate for all 44 innings.

Ryan Buter (North Muskegon, Mich.) also had seven hits including three for extra bases and received All-Tournament honors with Alex Trojan (Fenton, Mich./Hartland), who was 6-for-18 with three runs scored. All three Warriors played errorless defense in the tournament as well.