DETROIT -- Last season, the Wayne State University baseball team (13-14, 7-7 GLIAC) won the two regular season meetings with Saginaw Valley State (10-12, 5-9 GLIAC) while the Cardinals took both postseason meetings. On Wednesday, the Warriors swept a doubleheader against SVSU. WSU won game one 4-2 behind six solid innings from
Alex Kinch (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) (3-2) and used a ninth-inning wild pitch to win game two, 6-5.
Game One (W, 4-2)Both teams went scoreless through the first three innings until SVSU used two hits and a WSU error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. The Cardinals collected two more hits in the fifth inning but an outfield assist from Nate Manis (Port Huron, Mich. / Port Huron Northern) to cut the runner down at home kept the deficit at 1-0.
Kinch held SVSU scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings before a four-run sixth inning propelled the Warriors to a 4-1 lead. With two outs,
Ryan Mergener (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Portage Central) reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Bradley Baldwin (Troy, Mich. / Bishop Foley Catholic) singled up the middle to plate the inning's first run. Baldwin stole second base and then scored on a muffed throw on
Kyle Zimmerman's (Frankfort, Mich.) single. A throwing error led the the third run of the frame before
Cole Clifton (Sterling Heights. Mich. / De La Salle) gave the Green & Gold a 4-1 lead with an RBI single through the right side to score pinch-runner
Kevin Moore (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance).
The Cards mounted a comeback in the top of the seventh inning. A leadoff single summoned
Jeff Sorenson (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) in from the bullpen to replace Kinch. Sorenson allowed a fielder's choice RBI before he closed the door for his third save of the season.
Kinch tossed six innings, allowed nine hits, one earned run and struck out two.
Game Two (W, 6-5)The Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Baldwin and
Griffin Harms (Bingham Farms, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) accounted for the inning's RBIs.
Starting pitcher
JT Conti (Trenton, Mich.) hung a zero in the second inning before SVSU tied the game with two runs in the top of the third inning.
Mergener started the bottom of the third inning with a double down the left field line before a SVSU fielding error allowed Baldwin to reach. Zimmerman flew out to center for a sacrifice fly RBI, putting the Warriors back on top 3-2.
The back-and-forth contest continued in the top of the fourth inning when the Cardinals tied the game at 3-3 on a two-out RBI single from the nine-hole hitter, Connor Foley.
Chris Horvath (Lakeshore, Ont. / St. Anne Catholic) (1-1) replaced Conti to begin the sixth inning when SVSU took a 4-3 lead with a fielder's choice RBI.
WSU threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning with a hit and a Cardinal error but were unable to do any damage. In the bottom of the eighth inning,
Devin Rose (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single into left field.
SVSU scored a run in the top of the ninth inning on an RBI single from Brendan Harrison to take a 5-4 lead.
Manis drew a one-out walk and stole second in the bottom of the ninth inning to put the pressure on SVSU closer D.J. Reetz. After another walk to Mergener, Baldwin singled just inside the right field foul line to load the bases. An RBI single kept the bases loaded and tied the game at 5-5. With Harms at the plate, a wild pitch sent Mergener home to score the game-winning run.
Conti pitched five innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits and struck out six. Horvath earned the win with four innings of solid relief. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and struck out two.
WSU will stay at home and host Tiffin for a four-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 PM.
