BOX SCORES: GAME 1 | GAME 2
DETROIT - The Wayne State University baseball team (22-13, 13-9 GLIAC) split a Saturday doubleheader against Ashland University (23-15, 15-9 GLIAC) to open a four-game weekend series at the WSU Baseball Field.
Ashland scored seven runs in the fifth inning of game one, a
7-2 win for the Eagles.
Greg Spiess (Saline, Mich.) tossed a two-hit shutout in the second game as the Warriors earned a
4-0 victory.
WSU and Ashland will wrap up the series Sunday at noon.
GAME 1: ASHLAND 7, WAYNE STATE 2
The Eagles confined all of their scoring to the fifth inning, during which they accumulated six of their 12 hits (all singles). Adam Urbania drove in two runs in the inning with one of his three hits in the game.
Wayne State opened the first inning with three straight singles, including a bunt by
Andrew Ciennik (Waterford, Mich./Mott), who went 2-for-3. After
Justin DeFrancis (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek) scored on an error, Zach Botjer escaped a bases-loaded jam when his defense converted a triple play.
Botjer (6-3), last week's GLIAC Pitcher of the Week, allowed just one additional hit over the next five innings before WSU tacked on a run in the seventh.
Josh Wedesky (Fowlerville, Mich.) took the loss (4-3), allowing 10 hits and four walks over 4.1 innings.
Ethan Vasiliauskas (South Rockwood, Mich./Carleton Airport) threw 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.
GAME 2: WAYNE STATE 4, ASHLAND 0
Spiess (3-1) threw just 81 pitches in his second straight victory. He issued no walks and struck out four as Wayne State recorded its first-ever shutout over Ashland.
Aaron Hilt (6-5) also went the distance and allowed only three hits outside of Wayne State's three-run fourth inning. Two of the four runs surrendered by Hilt were unearned as Ashland committed three errors in the game.
Alex Trojan (Fenton, Mich./Hartland), who was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth, later scored on an RBI single by
Chris Gebara (Troy, Mich.).
Kasey Koster (Portage, Mich./Central) drove in two runs with a double, the only extra-base hit for either team in the doubleheader.
An RBI single by
Kenny Davis (Wyoming, Mich./Lee) made it a 4-0 game in the sixth.
NOTES
Spiess is the second Warrior to record a shutout this season (Wedesky) … 25 of the combined 26 hits by WSU and Ashland on Saturday were singles … DeFrancis had his streak of 23 games reaching base snapped in the nightcap … Koster leads the team with seven multiple-RBI games … Wayne State hosted an alumni reunion Saturday and honored the 1982 GLIAC Championship team prior to the start of game one.