DAVENPORT, Fla. -- The Wayne State University baseball team (14-2 overall) won its season-best sixth-straight game on Thursday afternoon, defeating Minnesota Duluth (3-14 overall) by a final score of 5-2.  Next up on the schedule, the Warriors will play their fifth game in as many days, a 3:45 p.m. first pitch against Northern State in Auburndale.

Wayne State's performance against Minnesota Duluth was fueled by pitching as five Warriors combined to give up two runs, only one of which was earned.

Starting with Nick Baker (Brighton, Mich. [Lansing C.C.]), the redshirt junior made his first start of the season (team-leading fifth appearance) and was excellent after four innings pitched.  Baker allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts on 58 pitches.

First in relief, TJ McAllister (St. Clair Shores, Mich. / South Lake) picked up his first pitching victory of the spring (1-0) and third of his career (3-2) following three frames of work and 34 pitches.  McAllister faced two batters over the minimum, didn't surrender a single hit, walked one, and struck out one.

Coy Plummer (New Hudson, Mich. / South Lyon) and Joel Mator (Trenton, Mich.) teamed up for the eighth inning, retiring two batters (five pitches) and one batter (four pitches), respectively.

Rocco Cardinale (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), who's also appeared in five contests, then slammed the door in the ninth for his third save of the season with 12 pitches.  Cardinale gave up one free pass, but induced the other three Bulldogs he faced into groundouts.

Offensively, Wayne State fell behind 2-0 through the top of the third, but just needed some time to warm up at the plate.

Caleb Sanders (Eastpointe, Mich. / Detroit Edison Public School Academy [Dayton]) put the Warriors on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI triple that scored Landon Ide (Fort Myers, Fla. / Bonita Springs).

The next inning, Drew Hill (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) continued his torrid start to the spring and homered for the fourth time (tied for the team lead), a solo shot to right field.

WSU broke the 2-2 tie in the seventh when Brayden Crowe (Brighton, Mich. / Hartland) forced in Gabe Zeldes (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Detroit Country Day) after a 5-3 putout.  Then in the eighth, Tony Hatzigeorgiou (Oxford, Mich.) tacked on two insurance runs with a two-run double that brought in both Hill and Rhett Roeser (New Baltimore, Mich. / Warren De La Salle).