The Wayne State University baseball team, ranked 22nd nationally, split a doubleheader against No. 6 Grand Valley State on April 3 at Harwell Field in Detroit. The Warriors ended the Lakers’ nine-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory in the first game but fell short in the second game, losing 14-6.
This matchup is significant as both teams are highly ranked and compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division II level, according to the official website. The series will conclude Saturday afternoon.
In game one, Wayne State’s Brayden Crowe hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning, providing all of his team’s runs for that contest. Pitcher Gavin Nash allowed just one earned run over more than six innings against one of Division II’s top offenses. Philip Miller secured his first save of the season by striking out Kaden Howard to end the game.
The second game saw Grand Valley State take an early lead before Wayne State tied it up in the second inning with key hits from Rhett Roeser and Bennett Hitzelberger and a two-run single by Ty Garza. However, GVSU scored eight straight runs across three innings, including multiple home runs from their lineup. Despite efforts by Tony Hatzigeorgiou and Caleb Sanders to close the gap for Wayne State late in the game, Grand Valley extended its lead with a grand slam by Caleb Estrada.
Wayne State plays its home games in Detroit and uses ‘Warriors’ as its athletics nickname with ‘W the Warrior’ as mascot, according to information from their official website (https://wsuathletics.com/sports/baseball). The program previously captured a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2010 according to their official site.
Looking ahead, both teams will meet again Saturday for another matchup between nationally-ranked opponents.
