TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- The 23rd-ranked Wayne State University baseball program (34-14 overall) fell to fourth-seeded Davenport (32-16 overall) 6-5 on Friday night in the second round of the 2019 GLIAC Tournament.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Ryan Foley (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Saline) started the bottom of the first inning with a walk before Jacob Finkbeiner (Saline, Mich.) singled through the right side and Justin Kelly (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton Warrenville South) walked.  An infield single from Hunter DeLanoy (Hartland, Mich.) produced a run and an RBI groundout from Davis Graham (Grosse Pointe, Mich. / Grosse Pointe South) gave WSU a 2-0 lead.  Jack Schmidt (Fishers, Ind. / Indianapolis Cathedral) reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt, which allowed Kelly to score.  However, the Warriors were unable to get the big hit to break it open, which would prove to loom large.

Davenport threatened in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs but Dillon McInerney (Richmond, Mich.) used a 1-2-3 double play and a strikeout to escape without any damage.  A sac fly from Noah Miller (Macomb, Mich. / University Liggett) in the bottom of the third inning made it 4-0 but that's when the Panthers would begin to chip away.  DU scored a run on two hits and a hit-by-pitch in the top of the fourth inning.  Heads-up base running from Foley in the bottom of the fourth inning gave WSU a 5-1 lead as he stole third and scored on the same play as the ball had gotten away from the DU catcher.

Three runs scored in the top of the fifth inning on three hits and a walk as DU trimmed the deficit to 5-4.  A leadoff double in the top of the sixth led to the Panthers tying the game at 5-5 on an RBI single.  A fielder's choice led to DU taking a 6-5 leads as the throw from shortstop to third base bounced off the runner and into the home dugout.

Graham walked to begin the bottom of the ninth inning but the next three hitters would go down as DU secured the win and put itself in the driver's seat for the weekend.

AT THE PLATE
Finkbeiner went 2-for-4 with a run scored.  DeLanoy, Graham, Schmidt and Miller picked up RBI.

ON THE MOUND
McInerney lasted five innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits, two walks and two hit batters.  Brennan Cox (Taylor, Mich. / Riverview Gabriel Richard) allowed an earned run in his two innings of work, while Josh Nelson (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Saline) (3-2) gave up an unearned run and was saddled with the loss.  Brendan Wetmore (Westland, Mich. / John Glenn) worked a scoreless ninth inning.

UP NEXT
The Warriors will face top-seeded Ashland in an elimination game on Saturday morning with first scheduled for 10:30 a.m.  The winner will play at 6:00 p.m. against Davenport.