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 John Skaggs had three hits in WSU's 11-7 win on Sunday. |
April 22, 2007
MIDLAND, Mich. - The Wayne State baseball team (22-16, 11-8 GLIAC) took the third game of its weekend series at Northwood (12-22, 3-15 GLIAC), 11-7, on Sunday afternoon at Gerace Stadium.
The Warriors scored in each of the first six innings, led by as many as nine runs and held off a late surge by the Timberwolves to preserve the win.
Five WSU starters enjoyed multiple-hit games, including John Skaggs (Adrian, Mich.) who went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Wayne State jumped out in front early, combining for six runs on seven hits in the first two innings.
RBI singles by Derek Ranck (Clarkston, Mich.) and Jon Weisman (Woodhaven, Mich.), as well as a Northwood error, led to three runs in the first frame. Brett Witczak (Hudsonville, Mich.) and Tony Hines (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) each doubled and drove in a run, while an RBI single by Skaggs gave Wayne State a 6-0 lead in the second.
In the third inning, Matthew Williams (Detroit, Mich./Royal Oak Shrine) doubled and stole third, and Ryan LaPensee (LaSalle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
Hines led off the fourth inning with a solo home run, but Northwood's Matt Shields responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to put the Timberwolves on the board.
The Warriors scored twice in the fifth on a groundout by Witczak and a base hit by Hines and once in the sixth on an RBI double by Bob Schmidt (Oxford, Mich.), putting the Warriors ahead, 11-2.
Two RBI singles by Northwood in the bottom of the sixth made it an 11-4 game, and the rally continued into the seventh, as the Timberwolves scored three times and had the bases loaded with two outs.
With the tying run at the plate, Yuki Minagawa (Troy, Mich.) came on in relief to get the final out and record his first career save.
Brady Cooper (Allen Park, Mich.) posted his second win of the season, working three innings in relief of starter Dan Barnes (Grand Ledge, Mich.) who allowed just one hit and struck out two over the first three innings.
