DETROIT -- The Wayne State University baseball team (19-8 overall, 10-4 GLIAC) split Saturday's doubleheader against visiting Northwood University (14-11 overall, 5-9 GLIAC) winning the opener 13-4, but falling 4-2 in the nightcap.  WSU won three of four on the weekend to take over sole possession of first place.  The Warriors have a one-game lead over Ashland, Lake Erie and Saginaw Valley.

WSU fell behind 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning in game one on Saturday, but rebounded to score at least one run in every frame to post the victory.

In the bottom of the second, Kasey Koster (Portage, Mich. / Central) was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to third on a double by Justin DeFrancis (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek), one of his three hits in the contest.  After fouling off a 3-2 pitch, Brad Guenther (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Saline) delivered a two-run single to right to pull the Warriors within one at 3-2.

Wayne State tied the contest in the third as Alex Trojan (Fenton, Mich. / Hartland), who had led off the inning with a walk, scored on a two-out single by Koster.

WSU snapped the 3-3 deadlock in the fourth by scoring four times on two hits, five walks and a wild pitch.  DeFrancis started the rally with a triple and scored the go-ahead run on a double by Guenther.  Chris Gebara (Troy, Mich.) and Koster had back-to-back bases loaded walks in the inning.

After Northwood made it 7-4 in the fifth, the Warriors tacked on three runs in each of their final two at bats.  Gebara had an RBI single in the fifth, while Trojan had a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Chris Waha (Charlevoix, Mich.) earned his first win of the season allowing just one unearned run in his two innings of work.  Keaton LeBlanc (LaSalle, Ont. / St. Thomas of Villanova) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Kirk Stambaugh (Sylvania, Ohio / Southview) had a 1-2-3 seventh.

DeFrancis and Guenther each went 3-for-4 in the contest with Guenther driving in three, while DeFrancis and Andrew Ciennik (Waterford, Mich. / Mott) each scored three times.

After the Timberwolves scored an unearned run in the top of the first in game two, WSU evened the score and nearly took the lead.  DeFrancis worked a 3-2 walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Guenther.  On Andrew Ciennik's foul out, DeFrancis advanced to third where he scored on a infield single by Trojan.  Kyle Vesey () followed with what would have been an RBI triple, but Trojan was ruled out for missing third base.

Wayne State knotted the game at two in the bottom of the fourth as Vesey had a leadoff double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gebara.

Northwood had five hits in the sixth but managed just two runs as the Warrior defense caught one runner trying to steal and another Timberwolve was thrown out at the plate.

WSU left two runners on base in the sixth and had the first two hitters in the seventh reach as pinch-hitter Ryan Buter (North Muskegon, Mich.) walked and DeFrancis was hit by a pitch.  After a fielder's choice, Andrew Ciennik lined a pitch of the glove of NU hurler Blaine Paden right to second baseman Pat Schlenke who caught the deflection and stepped on second for a double play.

Greg Spiess (Saline, Mich.) suffered the setback after allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits in five innings.

Vesey had two of WSU's five hits in the nightcap.  DeFrancis reached base seven times in the twinbill with two singles, a double, a triple, two walks and a hit by pitch.

Wayne State will be at home on Wednesday for league doubleheader against Saginaw Valley starting at 2 p.m.