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 Derek Ranck had two hits and two RBI at Saint Leo. |
March 12, 2008
SAINT LEO, Fla. - The Wayne State baseball team (2-3) came out on the short end of a 10-5 result Wednesday night at 29th-ranked Saint Leo (19-7).
Two-hit performances by Derek Ranck (Clarkston, Mich.), Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland), and Matt Cunningham (Gregory, Mich./Chelsea) paced the Warrior offense. Ranck also drove in a pair of runs and scored once.
The Lions used the long ball to put across most of their 10 runs on the evening. A home run to left center by Yunior Tabares accounted for three of SLU's five runs in the third, while a two-run shot by Aaron McLamar and a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Duncan made it an 8-0 game through four innings.
Wayne State's bats began to heat up in the sixth, however, as five hits led to three runs in the frame. A two-run single by Ranck plated Tony Hines (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) and Drew Churchward (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), and Ranck would eventually come around to score on a fielder's choice by Brett Witczak (Hudsonville, Mich.).
Tabares' second homer of the game, a two-run blast to right, brought in two unearned runs stemming from a WSU error in the sixth. The Warriors were quick to respond, however, as Churchward scored on a passed ball and Wiseman brought in Hines on a groundout.
Wayne State managed just one more hit over the final two innings, however, as Saint Leo earned its 19th win of the season despite committing five fielding errors.
John Kessick (Niles, Mich.) evened his record at 1-1 in his first start of the season. He surrendered five runs on five hits in three innings, walking two and striking out four. Robby Foscarin (Toronto, Ont./Michael Power St. Joseph) gave up three runs over three innings, and Justin Mazur (Macomb, Mich./De La Salle) pitched two scoreless frames and fanned a pair.
Lions starter Matthew Smith improved to 3-0 on the year, yielding four hits and three runs over five innings.
Wayne State will play the spring minor league squad of the Philadelphia Phillies in an exhibition Thursday afternoon in Clearwater, Fla. From there, the Warriors head to the University of Tampa to take on the defending Division II champion Saturday and Sunday.