Northwest Wayne News

Wayne State University's softball team split a doubleheader against Davenport University on Wednesday at Gary L. Bryce Field in Detroit. Wayne State secured a 7-4 victory in the first game, while Davenport claimed a narrow 2-1 win in the second.

In the opener, Davenport's Panthers took an early lead with a run in the first inning. Becca Daoust and Riley Hasseld set up the play with singles, and Savanna Disbrow drove in Daoust with a sacrifice fly. However, Wayne State responded with two runs in the bottom of the second inning after Becky Hodder scored on Sydney Long's double, followed by Maddie Hool driving Long home.

The Warriors extended their lead with additional runs across subsequent innings, capitalizing on errors by Davenport to score four unearned runs in the fifth. Despite Davenport's attempt to rally back with three runs in the seventh inning, Wayne State held firm for the win.

Sydney Long pitched six-plus innings for Wayne State, allowing four earned runs and striking out four batters. Sasha Buckberger closed out the game by striking out three of four batters faced.

For Wayne State, Josephson led with three hits, while Long contributed two hits and achieved a career-high of four RBIs. On Davenport's side, Hasseld went 3-for-4 and Disbrow added two hits with three RBIs.

In Game 2, Davenport again started strong as Alexis Gills hit a two-run homerun following Daoust's single. Wayne State narrowed the gap when Maddie Hool scored on a wild pitch after hitting a double but couldn't level up before time ran out.

Alexis Bonk pitched seven innings for Wayne State in Game 2, allowing five hits and striking out six batters. Hailey Whisman of Davenport limited WSU to one run over seven innings.

Looking ahead, Wayne State will face Ferris State on Friday to conclude their regular season. The top four teams have already secured spots for postseason play within GLIAC: Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), Purdue Northwest, and Ferris State. Parkside is vying alongside WSU and DU for final playoff positions as they prepare for upcoming matches this weekend.