LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Wayne State University baseball team (3-5) continued play at the 2015 RussMatt Invitational on Thursday with a doubleheader against fourth-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato (9-1) at Henley Field.  The Warriors lost a thriller in game one 7-6 and the Mavericks pulled away late in game two for a 13-5 victory.

WSU led 6-4 in game one but a three-run seventh inning propelled the Mavericks to a 7-6 win.  Wayne State battled in the finale tied the game 3-3 in the third inning.   However, Minnesota State-Mankato scored 10 runs in the final two innings to secure the win.

Game One (L, 6-7)
MSU scored first in the morning tilt with back-to-back doubles, taking a 1-0 lead.  Three more hits in the second inning extended the Mavs' lead to 3-0.

Starter Brandyn Hall (Sylvania, Ohio / Northview) settled in to keep MSU scoreless over the next three innings.  

WSU took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with four runs on three hits. Cole Clifton (Sterling Heights. Mich. / De La Salle) smacked a two-run double to right field to begin the rally. Griffin Harms (Bingham Farms, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) and Kyle Zimmerman (Frankfort, Mich.) delivered consecutive RBI singles to give WSU a 4-3 advantage.

Hall collected the first two outs of the sixth inning but not before a WSU throwing error allowed a MSU run to score, tying the game at 4-4. Jake Davis (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek) entered from the bullpen to collect the inning's final out.

Brad Baldwin (Troy, Mich. / Bishop Foley Catholic) posted his second straight two-RBI game with a two-run single into right field, putting the Green & Gold ahead 6-4.

Staked to a two-run lead, Jeff Sorenson (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) replaced Davis on the mound. The Mavericks scored three runs on two hits and two Warrior errors to regain the lead, 7-6. WSU went down in order in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Hall pitched five 2/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on 10 hits.

Game Two (L, 5-13)
Similar to game one, MSU was able to get on the board first with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning.

Wayne State got a run back in the top of the third inning with three straight singles.  Harms' single would drive in the run to trim the deficit to 3-1.

The Mavs added a run in the third inning before WSU used RBIs from a pair of freshman, Josh Arndt (Sterling Heights. Mich. / Oxford) and Devin Rose (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) to pull within one.

MSU combined for 10 runs over the next two innings on seven hits and a WSU error.  In between those two innings the Warriors were able to score two runs on three hits including an RBI single from Aaron Loconsole (Macomb, Mich. / Marine City).

Wayne State was unable to mount a threat in the seventh inning and would fall 13-5.

Jared Tobey (St. Clair, Mich.) (1-1) made his first career start and tossed four 1/3 innings allowing five earned runs on nine hits while striking out two.

WSU has an off day on Friday before playing two games against Winona State on Saturday.