BECKLEY, W.V. -- The Wayne State University baseball team (6-2 overall) returned to Epling Stadium for a three-game series vs. Ohio Valley (2-8 overall), which started with a doubleheader on Sunday. The Warriors blanked OVU 16-0 in game one behind a gem from senior
Dillon McInerney (Richmond, Mich.) (3-0) and an 11-run seventh inning. WSU came back to win game two, 5-4.
GAME ONE (W, 16-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior
Jacob Finkbeiner (Saline, Mich.) tripled with one out in the top of the first inning before junior
Michael MacLean (Bloomfield Hills, Mich. / Country Day / The Lawrenceville School) plated WSU's first run of the day with a sacrifice fly to center field. After a single from redshirt senior
Robert Iacobelli (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice) and a walk to Finkbeiner, an RBI single by redshirt sophomore
Hunter DeLanoy (Hartland, Mich.) doubled the Warriors' advantage to 2-0.
After a single and a walk in the bottom of the fifth inning had the Fighting Scots poised to find the run column but a 5-3 double play allowed McInerney to escape unharmed.
MacLean walked to start the sixth inning and stole second base before a walk to DeLanoy and an error allowed WSU to take a 3-0 lead. Pinch-runner
Jacob Badalamenti (Clinton Twp., Mich. / Warren De La Salle) scored a passed ball and a pinch-hit sac fly from senior
Preston Pilat (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice) pushed the margin to 5-0.
Following a single by redshirt sophomore
Ryan Foley (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Saline) and a hit-by-pitch, MacLean drove in two runs with a double to center field. A passed ball allowed MacLean to cross home plate and Pilat drove in the ninth run of the game with a fielder's choice. The inning continued as redshirt sophomore
CJ Drogosch (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Foley singled home runs and Finkbeiner gave WSU a 12-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center.
Four more runs crossed in the marathon seventh inning as a wild pitcher plus a three-run home run from
Davis Graham (Grosse Pointe, Mich. / Grosse Pointe South) pushed WSU's advantage to 16-0. The blast was the first of his collegiate career.
AT THE PLATE
Seven Warriors recorded a hit, while Foley led the way with two hits. MacLean and Graham both collected three RBI. Wayne State registered three extra-base hits and stole four bases.
ON THE MOUND
McInerney struck out seven batters and earned his second career shutout to improve to 3-0 on the season. He allowed five hits and walked one.
GAME TWO (W, 5-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Foley sent a single up the middle to start game two and eventually scored on a MacLean single plus an error in the outfield. Ohio Valley had three batters reach in the bottom of the third inning but were unable to break through.
Graham drew a one-out walk in the top of the fifth inning, advanced to second on an error before a triple by redshirt sophomore
Chris Tanderys (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) pushed WSU's lead to 2-0. A hit-by-pitch, a walk and an error in the bottom of the fifth inning allowed the Scots to score their first run of the day. OVU evened the score at 2-2 with a bunt RBI. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch plus a wild pitch gave Ohio Valley a 4-2 lead.
DeLanoy drove in a run with a single to center in the top of the sixth inning to trim Wayne State's deficit to 4-3. Graham continued to swing a hot bat and gave the Warriors a 5-4 lead with a two-run single.
AT THE PLATE
Foley finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while DeLanoy and Tanderys notched two hits each.
ON THE MOUND
Junior
Nick O'Dea (Livonia, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central) allowed three runs (two earned) on one hit and four walks. Senior
Richard Hovde (Saline, Mich.) (1-0) allowed a run in his inning of work but picked up the win before redshirt junior
Jack Schmidt (Fishers, Ind. / Indianapolis Cathedral) struck out five batters in two innings on his way to his second save of the season.
UP NEXT
The Warriors will finish the series on Monday with a nine-inning game beginning at noon.
