Baseball Suffers Setback Against Familiar Foe

WSU dropped Friday's NCAA Regional contest with GVSU, 7-2.

Box Score

Tournament Central

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Two GLIAC powers matched up in the final game of day two of the NCAA Midwest Regional and the Wayne State University baseball team (36-16) fell to #17 Grand Valley State (39-11), 7-2 on Friday night. The Warriors were unable to collect the key hit with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners.

The Lakers jumped on starter Alex Kinch (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) (8-2) early with runs in each of the first three innings.

WSU applied some pressure in the bottom of the fifth inning following walks to Griffin Harms (Bingham Farms, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) and Zach Johnson (Grandville, Mich.) and a single through the left side from Jimmy Jackson (Battle Creek, Mich. / Pennfield). However, a 1-2-3 double play and a fly out would allow the second-seeded Lakers to escape without allowing a run.

GVSU delivered the knockout blow in the top of the seventh inning on a Giancarlo Brugnoni towering grand slam following three infield singles to give GVSU a 7-0 advantage.

The Green & Gold loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh and Travis Rodery (Wyandotte, Mich. / Roosevelt?) was drilled to get WSU on the board but that would be all the Warriors could muster in the frame.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, WSU scored a run on two hits to trim the deficit to 7-2. Harms collected the RBI with a groundout to shortstop.

The Warriors went down in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to send GVSU to Saturday's 7 PM contest.

Kinch battled through six innings, allowing seven runs and striking out six. Jeff Sorenson (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson), Brock Bates (Delta, Ohio / Evergreen), Jake Davis (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek) and Tyler Tompson (Farmington, Mich.) teamed up to toss the final three innings without allowing a run and just two hits.

WSU will face top-seeded #8 Southern Indiana (42-12) on Saturday at 11 AM in an elimination game.

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