Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Wayne State University baseball program (8-1) split with Wayne State College (4-5) on Tuesday afternoon at Chain of Lakes Field. The Warriors took game one of the doubleheader 7-4 and dropped an extra-innings contest, 3-2, in game two.

The game one victory over the Northern Sun Conference foe, secured the best start in program history at 8-0. In 2007, WSU lost its first game and won eight straight to start 8-1.

Game One (W, 7-4)
Appearing in his first game since transferring to WSU in 2012 from Kalamazoo Valley, Jake Davis (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek) (1-0) got the start for the Warriors.

The Wildcats struck first with a run in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly.

Eric Cunningham (LaSalle, Ont. / St. Thomas of Villanova) doubled home a run before Kyle Zimmerman (Frankfort, Mich.) gave WSU a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly.

WSC tied the game in the top of the third inning with a run on an RBI double.

A.J. Matos (Southgate, Mich. / Detroit Western) delivered a bases-loaded, two-run single in the top of the fourth inning to give WSU a 4-2 advantage.

The offense kept it going in the fifth with three more runs powered by a Cunningham home run, a Jimmy Jackson (Battle Creek, Mich. / Pennfield) RBI single and a Cole Clifton (Sterling Heights. Mich. / De La Salle) RBI single. 

Taylor Horn (Leo, Ind.) and Jackson combined to pitch the sixth inning. WSC scratched across two runs on a hit and a Warrior error.

Clayton Ruch (Pemberville, Ohio) entered from the the WSU bullpen to toss a scoreless seventh inning for his sixth save of the season and 16th of his career.

Cunningham and Matos drove in two runs each while Davis lasted five innings, allowing one earned run and striking out five.

Game Two (L, 2-3)
WSC scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning on three hits including a two-run double to take a 2-0 lead.

A Clifton sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth inning got the Green & Gold on the board, cutting the Wildcat lead to one.

Tyler Tompson (Farmington, Mich.) made his collegiate debut with the start, going five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and striking out five with three walks.

A RBI double off the bat of Zimmerman in the top of the sixth inning tied the game at 2-2.

Jeff Sorenson (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) and Brock Bates (Delta, Ohio / Evergreen) (0-1) combined to pitch a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning.

Bates also pitched through some traffic in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Wildcats stranded two runners.

However, WSC got the run it needed in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly, to give the Wildcats a 3-2 win and hand the Warriors their first loss of the season.

WSU will play a doubleheader against Alderson Broaddus on Wednesday beginning at 10:30 AM at Pat Thomas Stadium.