COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After sweeping Saturday's doubleheader, the Wayne State University baseball team (14-10, 6-2 GLIAC) swept a doubleheader at Ohio Dominican (12-11-1, 0-8 GLIAC) on Sunday to run its winning streak to five. WSU needed extra innings in game one but was able to win its fourth straight game and secure a series victory, 7-5, in nine innings.
Tyler Waldrop (Grand Ledge, Mich.) (2-1) used five doubles and a home run from his offense to collect his first career complete game to lead the Warriors to a 7-2 victory.
GAME ONE vs. OHIO DOMINICAN (W, 7-5 / NINE INNINGS)
HOW IT HAPPENED- Leadoff hitter
Aaron Loconsole (Macomb, Mich. / Marine City) drew a walk to start the top of the first inning.
Brad Baldwin (Troy, Mich. / Bishop Foley Catholic) doubled down the right field line and
Griffin Harms (Bingham Farms, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) put the Warriors up 1-0 with an RBI groundout and
JT Conti (Trenton, Mich.) singled through the right side for WSU's second run.
- The Panthers scored a run on an RBI double in the bottom of the second inning. The Warriors answered immediately with two runs on two hits in the top of the third inning. Harms and Conti began the frame with back-to-back doubles before
Ryan Mergener (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Portage Central) and
Daniel Peake (Mississauga, Ont. / Lorne Park) followed with consecutive sacrifice flies to extend WSU's lead to 4-1.
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Alex Kinch (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) worked around a double and a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning to keep WSU's three-run lead intact. Kinch kept the pressure on by retiring the side in order in the fifth inning, including two strikeouts.
Jared Tobey (St. Clair, Mich.) singled to begin the sixth inning and was replaced by
Devin Rose (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) on the base paths. Rose moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout.
- After a leadoff single and a walk in the bottom of the sixth inning, a three-run home run brought ODU within one, 5-4. Kinch was able to escape the inning with a strikeout and a lineout, keeping the Green & Gold on top. A two-out rally by the Panthers in the bottom of the seventh tied the game at 5-5 to force extra innings.
Justin Kelly (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton Warrenville South) came off the bench to play catcher in the bottom of the eighth inning and threw out a potential base stealer and game-winning run at second base.
Cole Clifton (Sterling Heights. Mich. / De La Salle) doubled to right field and advanced to third with a sacrifice bunt. Baldwin gave WSU the lead with an RBI single through the right side. Conti flied out to left field to send home another run and give WSU a 7-5 lead.
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Nolan Dill (Bowling Green, Ohio) (2-1) danced around two singles to secure the victory. He struck out two of the final three batters.
LEADING THE WARRIORS- Conti went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
- The top four batters in the Warriors' lineup went 7-for-16 with four RBI and five runs scored.
ON THE MOUND- Kinch finished with nine strikeouts in seven innings and allowed five earned runs, while waking three batters.
- Dill struck out four batters in his two innings of work and did not allow a run on two hits.
GAME TWO vs. OHIO DOMINICAN (W, 7-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED- Waldrop had runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the first inning but a 6-3 double play kept the game scoreless. ODU loaded the bases in the second inning and another double play, this one of the 1-2-3 variety, aided WSU in keeping the game tied at 0-0.
- After threatening in the first two innings, Ohio Dominican finally got to Waldrop in the third with two outs when Lee Sponseller sent a two-run home run to right center. Once again, ODU put two runners on in the fourth inning but Waldrop was able to induce his third double play of the game to end the threat.
Justin Sherman (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) and Loconsole started the fifth inning with back-to-back singles. Baldwin followed with a two-run, game-tying double to center field. Kelly gave WSU the lead with a double down the left field line. Thr third double of the inning, from Peake, drove home two more runs to give WSU a 5-2 advantage.
- WSU turned its fourth double play of the game to keep the momentum and end the fifth inning. Following the fifth double of the game from Conti, Mergener crushed a two-run home run to left field to extend WSU's lead to 7-2. Waldrop struck out the side in the seventh inning to finish off the four-game sweep.
LEADING THE WARRIORS- Baldwin, Mergener and Peake all drove in two runs.
- Conti and Peake both finished with three-hit games.
ON THE MOUND- Waldrop struck out a career-high seven batters in seven innings, while allowing two earned runs on seven hits.
UP NEXT- Wayne State will host Tiffin for a non-conference, nine-inning game on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
