WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Wayne State University baseball team (6-2) swept a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon against the University of Minnesota-Duluth (2-4) at the RussMatt Invitational.
Wayne State scored three runs in the fifth inning of game one on its way to a
3-2 victory. In game two, the Warriors accumulated a season-high 13 hits in a
5-2 win.
The Warriors will be off until Tuesday when they take on the University of Indianapolis at 4:00 p.m.
GAME 1: WAYNE STATE 3, MINNESOTA-DULUTH 2
Wayne State erased a 2-0 deficit with its three-run fifth inning.
Kyle Zimmerman (Frankfort, Mich.) led off with a double and scored on a base hit by
Josh Schafer (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.). A triple by
Justin DeFrancis (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek) brought in Schafer, and DeFrancis came in on a sacrifice fly by
Brad Guenther (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline).
Josh Wedesky (Fowlerville, Mich.) improved to 2-0, scattering eight hits over six innings. He walked a pair and struck out five before
Billy Hurley (Mississauga, Ont./St. Aloysius Gonzaga) relieved him to pick up his third save of the year.
Collin Stinogel took the loss despite allowing just five hits. He struck out two in the complete game effort.
One of three Bulldogs with a two-hit game, Cody Aasen drove in both UMD runs in the third on a one-out single.
GAME 2: WAYNE STATE 5, MINNESOTA-DULUTH 2
Five Warriors had multiple-hit performances, including
Kyle Vesey (Brighton, Mich.) who was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Guenther,
Alex Trojan (Fenton, Mich./Hartland), Zimmerman and
Chris Gebara (Troy, Mich.) had two hits apiece.
The Bulldogs struck first in the opening frame on an RBI single by Aasen. The Warriors answered in the third on an RBI single by Gebara, the third hit of the inning for WSU.
Trojan's two-run double highlighted Wayne State's three-run fourth inning. Vesey also drove in a run with a two-out triple.
Orry Engebretsen made it a 4-2 game with an RBI single in the fifth, but Guenther scored on an error in the sixth to reestablish WSU's three-run lead.
Kirk Stambaugh (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview) went 4.2 innings and allowed four hits and four walks. He struck out two in his first victory of the year, which was preserved by
Jeff Sorenson (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) who tossed 2.1 hitless innings for the save.
NOTES
Wayne State is 6-2 all-time against Minnesota-Duluth … Wedesky is 10-2 in his last 13 starts dating back to 2011 … Guenther is 6-for-12 with three runs scored on the Florida trip.