LAKELAND, Fla. - The Wayne State University baseball team (4-2) split a doubleheader with Rockhurst University (7-3) on Friday afternoon at Henley Field.

Wayne State dropped the first game, 3-1, before pulling out an eight-inning 5-4 victory in the second game.

The Warriors will continue play at the RussMatt Invitational on Saturday with a  twinbill against Minnesota-Duluth.


GAME 1: ROCKHURST 3, WAYNE STATE 1

Rockhurst starter Mark Himmelberg threw a two-hitter, and Ryan Porter went 2-for-3 and drove in all three runs for the Hawks.

The Warriors scored their lone run of the game in the first inning as Brad Guenther (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) drew a leadoff walk, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a grounder by Andrew Ciennik (Waterford, Mich./Mott).

Porter's two-run single gave Rockhurst a 2-1 lead in the third.  The Hawks added a run in the fifth as Porter tripled in Patrick Chandler.

Guenther and Andrew Ciennik broke up Himmelberg's no-hit bid with consecutive two-out singles in the sixth, but both runners were left stranded.

Making his first collegiate start on the mound, Kyle Zimmerman (Frankfort, Mich.) surrendered three runs (two earned) on six hits in 5.0 innings.  Ethan Vasiliauskas (South Rockwood, Mich./Carleton Airport) pitched two scoreless innings in relief with a pair of strikeouts.


GAME 2: WAYNE STATE 5, ROCKHURST 4 (8 INN.)

Guenther drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning to snap a 4-4 tie, and Billy Hurley (Mississauga, Ont./St. Aloysius Gonzaga) came on in the bottom half to earn his second save in as many chances.

The WSU offense generated a season-high 11 hits.  Andrew Ciennik went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, while a trio of Warriors – Guenther, Zimmerman and Justin DeFrancis (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek) – finished with two hits apiece.

Alex Pierse (Clinton Twp., Mich./De La Salle) allowed just four hits, walking two and striking out six over seven innings to pick up the win.  All four Rockhurst runs as well as four of the five WSU runs against three Hawks pitchers were unearned due to a combined seven errors.

Rockhurst capitalized on two WSU miscues to score three runs in the bottom of the second inning, erasing the 1-0 lead the Warriors established in the top half on a sacrifice fly by Chris Gebara (Troy, Mich.).

An RBI double by Andrew Ciennik in the third made it a 3-2 game, and in the sixth the Warriors scored two runs on an error and a sacrifice fly by DeFrancis.

In the bottom of the sixth, a wild pickoff throw by Pierse allowed Jordan Stull to score all the way from first base.

J.J. Ciennik (Waterford, Mich./Mott) drew a one-out walk in the top of the eighth, and Zimmerman followed with a single.  After DeFrancis reached on a two-out error, a base hit by Guenther brought J.J. Ciennik in to score.

Hurley relieved Pierse and preserved the win for his 10th career save.


NOTES
Henley Field was the spring training facility for the Detroit Tigers until 1966, and is the current home of Florida Southern … Andrew Ciennik has reached base in six straight games … Hurley took sole possession of second place all-time at WSU in saves, surpassing Jamieson Oliver (1994-96) and Steve Squires (2004-05).