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 Brett Witczak extended his hitting streak to 11 games Wednesday at SVSU. |
April 30, 2008
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The 18th-ranked Wayne State baseball team (29-13, 22-3 GLIAC) had its seven-game winning streak snapped following a 4-3 extra inning setback at Saginaw Valley State (29-12, 17-8 GLIAC) in the first game of a twinbill Wednesday afternoon.
In their first road game since April 12, the first-place Warriors came back to tie the score twice, but a bases-loaded two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth handed the Cardinals their 10th straight victory.
Starting pitcher Brett Shankin (Washington, Mich./Romeo) retired 10 of the first 12 batters he faced and induced two double plays. The Cardinals were able to string together three hits and plate two runs in the fifth, however, to break the scoreless tie.
Wayne State was quick to respond in the top of the sixth, cutting the deficit in half on doubles by Ryan LaPensee (LaSalle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) and Adam Kaminski (Clinton Twp., Mich./Mt. Clemens). Brett Witczak (Hudsonville, Mich.) would bring in Kaminski on a base hit to center, knotting the game at two apiece.
A solo homer by Reed Welker, who went 3-for-3 in the game, put SVSU ahead again in the bottom of the sixth, but a costly two-out error by second baseman Kevin Schwedler led to an unearned run for Wayne State in the seventh.
The Cardinals collected a hit and two walks to load the bases for pinch-hitter Andy Ferraiuolo, whose base on balls produced the winning run.
Wayne State managed seven hits off SVSU starter Scott Roy, who went the distance for his ninth win of the year. Witczak and Charlie Dunneback (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge) posted two hits apiece for the Warriors.
Shankin lasted a career-best 7.1 innings and surrendered just three runs on five hits before giving way to Josh Lewis (Harper Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North) and Kaminski.
NOTES
Wayne State has lost four of its last five games at Saginaw Valley State ... Witczak extended his hitting streak to 11 games, matching the longest on the team this season ... Kaminski and Dunneback have streaks of eight and seven games, respectively ... WSU is 4-2 in extra-inning contests and 8-1 in one-run games.