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 Tim George started at first base and had a hit on Senior Day against Ashland. |
May 4, 2008
DETROIT - In its final home game of the season, the 18th-ranked Wayne State baseball team (30-15, 23-5 GLIAC) fell to 28th-ranked Ashland (35-13, 17-7 GLIAC), 9-5, on Sunday afternoon in the second game of a doubleheader.
To celebrate Senior Day, the Warriors started all four seniors including Derek Ranck (Clarkston, Mich.), who suffered a season-ending arm injury last month but made an "honorary" start in left field Sunday. Adam Kaminski (Clinton Twp., Mich./Mt. Clemens) came in for Ranck prior to the first pitch.
Matthew Williams (Detroit, Mich./Royal Oak Shrine), who had two of WSU's seven hits, also notched two RBI and a run scored to pace the Warrior offense.
Ashland quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead aided by a three-run homer by AU starting pitcher Ben Minard. RBI groundouts by Ryan LaPensee (LaSalle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) and Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland) cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning, but the Eagles scored five straight runs to take a 9-2 lead.
Matt Cunningham (Gregory, Mich./Chelsea) drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the fourth, while Williams drove in a run in the fifth inning with a double and in the seventh on a groundout.
Minard (7-5) gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 6.2 innings. His counterpart, Brett Shankin (Washington, Mich./Romeo), lasted just 2.1 innings and fell to 2-1 on the year.
Wayne State enters the GLIAC Tournament as the top seed and will meet Findlay in the first round Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Dow Diamond in Midland.
NOTES
Prior to the game the team's four seniors - Tim George (Quincy, Mich.), Brett Witczak (Hudsonville, Mich.), Cunningham, and Ranck - were recognized with their parents for their contributions to the WSU baseball program ... George, who started at first base, led off the third inning with a single ... Kaminski's infield single in the fourth extended his hitting streak to 11 games ... David White (Taylor, Mic./Kennedy) pitched 3.1 hitless innings in relief ... Wayne State is 17-35-1 all-time against Ashland.