Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Wayne State University baseball team (31-11, 19-7 GLIAC) began a three-game series with first-place Lake Erie (25-16, 19-9 GLIAC) on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors surrendered a two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh inning but came back to win 4-3 in game one in nine innings. WSU improved to 15-2 in its last 17 games with a 4-2 game two victory.

The game one win put the Warriors at the 30-win plateau for the eighth time in program history and the sixth time in the last seven years as well as snapping LEC's 10-game winning streak.

Game One (W, 4-3)
WSU scored a run on a fielding error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Cole Clifton (Sterling Heights. Mich. / De La Salle) doubled to right center field to plate Jeremy Carrell (St. Clair, Mich.) after Carrell was hit by a pitch in the top of the second.

Starter Kyle Zimmerman (Frankfort, Mich.) kept the Storm quiet over five innings, allowing one earned run and striking out nine batters.

Chris Gebara (Troy, Mich.) doubled to center field to begin the top of the sixth inning. Griffin Harms (Bingham Farms, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) gave the Warriors a 3-0 lead as he singled up the middle to score Gebara.

After a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth, Jimmy Jackson (Battle Creek, Mich. / Pennfield) replaced Zimmerman. Jackson issued a bases-loaded walk to allow a run to cross and cut WSU's lead to 3-1. Clayton Ruch (Pemberville, Ohio / Eastwood) came in to collect the final out of the inning and limit the damage.

WSU loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning but was unable to collect any insurance runs.

Lake Erie's Garrett Emling connected for a two-run home run to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Jeff Sorenson (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) (2-0) replaced Ruch in the bottom of the eighth inning after a leadoff single and was able to keep the game tied.

The first three Warriors reached to begin the top of the ninth inning following a Cameron Walker (Clinton Twp., Mich. / De La Salle) bunt single. Pinch-hitter Spencer Church (Windsor, Ont. / Holy Names) gave the Green & Gold a 4-3 lead with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Sorenson retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to collect the victory.

Game Two (W, 4-2)
Clifton and Eric Cunningham (LaSalle, Ont. / St. Thomas of Villanova) collected back-to-back base hits and Zimmerman followed with an RBI groundout to give WSU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Carrell extended WSU's lead to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left field in the top of the second inning. Lake Erie committed two errors in the inning.

Alex Kinch (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) (7-1) kept the Storm scoreless in the bottom of the third inning despite two Lake Erie hits.

A.J. Matos (Southgate, Mich. / Detroit Western) broke the game open with a two-run single through the left side in the top of the third inning to give WSU a 4-0 lead.

Lake Erie cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning on RBI groundouts but that would be as close as LEC would come as Kinch would dominate the rest of the way.

Kinch collected his fifth career complete game (fourth of the season), going seven innings allowing two earned runs on six hits.

The series concludes on Sunday with a nine-inning contest beginning at noon.