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 Matthew Williams posted his first career four-hit game Friday at Gannon. |
March 21, 2008
ERIE, Pa. - In the second game of Friday's twinbill, the Wayne State baseball team (4-7, 2-0 GLIAC) scored in every inning but the third on its way to a 16-3 win at Gannon (2-6, 0-2 GLIAC).
Matthew Williams (Detroit, Mich./Royal Oak Shrine) went 4-for-4, his first career four-hit game, with four runs scored, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Ryan LaPensee (LaSalle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) and Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland) each drove in three runs, while LaPensee also scored three times and walked twice.
In his second career complete game, Dane Little (Windsor, Ont./F.J. Brennan Catholic) surrendered three runs on six hits and one walk. He recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts just a couple of hours after Anthony Bass (Trenton, Mich.) fanned 13 in the first game, the highest total by a WSU pitcher in nine years.
Wiseman's two-run double in the first gave the Warriors an early 2-0 lead, and three runs in the second inning made it a 5-1 game. A sacrifice bunt by Matt Cunningham (Gregory, Mich./Chelsea) brought in Charlie Dunneback (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge), who walked to lead off the inning. Walks to Williams and Drew Churchward (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) led to a two-run triple by LaPensee.
Two more Warrior runs in the fourth gave the visitors a 7-2 advantage. A sacrifice fly by LaPensee plated Williams, and Churchward came in on throwing error by Gannon catcher Jim Travers as he attempted to throw out Derek Ranck (Clarkston, Mich.) stealing second.
After leading off the fifth inning with a double and advancing to third on a balk, Brett Witczak (Hudsonville, Mich.) scored on a sacrifice fly by Dunneback.
In the sixth, an RBI double by Ranck brought in LaPensee, who opened the inning with a walk. Ranck would eventually score on a groundout by Witczak, and with the bases empty Caleb Dalman (Hudsonville, Mich.) homered to left.
The Warriors put the exclamation point on their victory with five runs in the seventh inning, sending eight men to the plate. Included among WSU's four hits in the inning was an RBI triple by Williams, the first three-bagger of his career.
Little (1-2) retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced, including the final seven.
Wayne State was balanced offensively, as eight different Warriors had at least one hit, nine drove in a run, and 10 players scored at least once.
WSU and Gannon will meet again, weather permitting, in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon.
NOTES
The last time WSU scored 16 runs was March 10 last season in a 16-6 win over Seton Hill ... LaPensee's triple was the fourth of his career, putting him in a tie with Tony Hines (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) as the team's active leader ... Little's only other complete game occurred on April 28, 2007, a 5-1 win at #19 Ashland ... he also doubled his previous career-high of six strikeouts, which he achieved twice last season ... the Golden Knights issued nine walks, while Little allowed just one ... Dalman's first career home run came in his 51st game ... the Warriors have won their last 14 meetings with the Golden Knights.