CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- Karter Fitzpatrick (Monroe, Mich. / Carleton Airport) tied the program's career win record (24) and the Wayne State University baseball team (4-1 overall) won the series opener against Tiffin (0-2 overall) on Friday afternoon at VA Memorial Stadium.  Next up, the Warriors and Dragons will play game two of the series on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.

Fitzpatrick improved to 24-6 for his career and 1-0 this season after another quality start on Friday against Tiffin.  Fitzpatrick threw seven innings while giving up two earned runs on five hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts (personal best).  After 10 punchouts in his first start last week, the redshirt senior racked up 10 or more in back-to-back outings for the first time in his career.

Wayne State was first on the board thanks to a pair of runs in the first.  Drew Hill (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) scored on Mason McGuire's (Lyon Twp., Mich. / Brighton (Mott CC)) fielder's choice to the shortstop and Bennett Hitzelberger (Richmond, Mich.) came in when Jacoby Dale (Roseville, Mich. / Roseville (Spring Arbor/Henry Ford CC)) reached on an error by the shortstop.

The next inning Tiffin found the scoring column scoring on a wild pitch before Matthew Ferris (Toronto, Ont. / Emily Carr Secondary (Niagara County CC)) did the same in the home half to make it a 3-1 game.

Fast forward to the sixth where the Dragons made it a one-run affair with a solo home run to right field.  Then, in the bottom of the seventh, the Warriors put the game out of reach with a six-run frame.

The first three of those six came when Hill scored on McGuire's bases loaded hit-by-pitch, Dale forced in Hitzelberger with a sacrifice fly to right and Logan Tobel (Brighton, Mich. / Hartland) singled in Tony Hatzigeorgiou (Oxford, Mich.).

With McGuire standing on third and Brady Blakita (Canton, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central) on first as a pinch runner for Tobel, Kyle Ray (Woodhaven, Mich.) stepped in for a three-run shot to right, the first blast of his career.  Then, TU scored its third and final run in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late.

Following Fitzpatrick, Cam Rosen (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Dexter) pitched a scoreless eighth with a strikeout before Ryan Szlachcic (Jenison, Mich. / Hudsonville (Kalamazoo Valley CC)) surrendered an earned run in the ninth.