ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The No. 17 Wayne State University baseball team (18-8 overall, 7-2 GLIAC) split a doubleheader at Grand Valley State (13-12 overall, 5-3 GLIAC) on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors won game one 5-3 before dropping the nightcap 6-1. Next up, WSU will take a break from league play and be at Findlay on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. first pitch against the Oilers.
GAME ONE RECAP
Trailing 2-0 through three innings, Wayne State put up a three spot in the top of the fourth. All three came around to score on
Logan Tobel's (Brighton, Mich. / Hartland) three-run home run, his third of the season, that also brought in
Tony Hatzigeorgiou (Oxford, Mich.) and
Kyle Ray (Woodhaven, Mich.).
In the fifth, the Warriors stretched their advantage to two when Hatzigeorgiou singled in
Mason McGuire (Lyon Twp., Mich. / Brighton (Mott CC)).
After Grand Valley State pulled within one (4-3) in the sixth,
Bennett Hitzelberger (Richmond, Mich.) slammed the door shut with a solo blast in the seventh, his second of the spring.
On the mound,
Karter Fitzpatrick (Monroe, Mich. / Carleton Airport) twirled his 12th career complete game and second of the season. Fitzpatrick surrendered three runs, two earned, on eight hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.
GAME TWO RECAP
Wayne State was holding on to a 1-0 advantage through four-and-a-half innings of the nightcap. That run was scored when Hitzelberger pushed across McGuire with an RBI double in the first.
However, that would be the end of the scoring for the Warriors (10 left on base) as Grand Valley State notched a run in the fifth, three in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Griffin Kilander (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) suffered his first loss of the season (5-1) as he gave up four earned runs on eight hits in six innings with two free passes and seven punchouts.
Out of the bullpen,
Evan Langlois (Brownstown, Mich. / Woodhaven) threw two-thirds of an inning (2 ER, 4 H, 2 SO) before
Gabe Nazelli (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Detroit Country Day) pitched a perfect inning and a third.