Baseball advances to GLIAC title game: The Wayne State baseball team (33-18 overall) failed to secure its place in the 2012 GLIAC tournament championship game with a 6-4 loss to the Grand Valley Lakers (40-13 overall), but had another chance to advance to the title game later that day, and did, with a 13-6 victory over the Saginaw Valley Cardinals (26-26 overall) on May 11.
*Grand Valley*
Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, Kasey Koster tied the game for the Warriors with a solo homer to right.
WSU took a one run lead in the fourth when Chris Gebara drove-in Kyle Vesey – who singled to lead off the inning. But the Lakers tied it in the bottom of the inning.
The Warriors regained the lead in the fifth as Kyle Zimmerman’s RBI single gave them a 3-2 lead. Brad Guenther added a run in the sixth, plating Koster on a fielder’s choice.
The Lakers cut the deficit to one in the sixth. Sending nine batters to the plate in the eighth, GVSU rallied for three runs to take a 6-4 lead.
The Warriors couldn’t respond, and were one game away from elimination with the loss.
*Saginaw Valley*
With their backs against the wall, the WSU bats got going early against the Cardinals, scoring three runs in the first. But SVSU responded, scoring two runs in the bottom half.
SVSU tied it in the second and took a 5-3 lead in the third.
Koster’s three-RBI double gave the Warriors a 6-5 lead in the fifth. WSU erupted in the sixth, scoring six runs in the inning to take a 12-5 lead. Andrew Ciennik and Kenny Davis each had two-RBI singles in the inning to pace the WSU offense.
Each team scored a run in the late innings.
The Warriors will meet the ninth-ranked Lakers again on May 12, this time having to beat them twice to claim the GLIAC tournament title.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Warriors split doubleheader with Ashland
Warriors split doubleheader with Ashland: In a matchup between two of the GLIAC’s top teams, the Wayne State baseball team (22-13, 13-9 GLIAC) split its doubleheader with the Ashland Eagles (23-15, 15-9 GLIAC) April 21 in Detroit. The Warriors surrendered game one to the Eagles, 7-2, but came away with a 4-0 victory in the nightcap.
*Game One*
The Warriors came out swinging early, hitting three-straight singles to open the bottom of the first inning. Justin DeFrancis – who led off the inning – scored on a throwing error by the Eagles on an Andrew Ciennik bunt, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors had the bases loaded with no outs after an Alex Trojan walk, but had to settle for one run when Kyle Vesey lined into a triple play.
WSU starter Josh Wedesky pitched strong through four innings, but the Eagles got to him in the fifth, scoring all seven of their runs in the inning. Wedesky pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and four walks before being replaced by Christian Bilkovic.
The Warriors tacked on a run in the seventh when Vesey scored on a Chis Gebara double play.
*Game Two*
Throwing just 81 pitches, WSU starter Greg Speiss shutout the Eagles, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Following an Eric Cunningham single, Gebara drove-in the first Warrior run, singling in Alex Trojan – who was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. Kasey Koster added two more runs with a double, driving in Cunningham and Gebara.
A Kenny Davis RBI single in the sixth inning gave the Warriors a 4-0 lead.
The Warriors close out their series against the Eagles with a doubleheader April 22, starting at noon.
*Game One*
The Warriors came out swinging early, hitting three-straight singles to open the bottom of the first inning. Justin DeFrancis – who led off the inning – scored on a throwing error by the Eagles on an Andrew Ciennik bunt, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors had the bases loaded with no outs after an Alex Trojan walk, but had to settle for one run when Kyle Vesey lined into a triple play.
WSU starter Josh Wedesky pitched strong through four innings, but the Eagles got to him in the fifth, scoring all seven of their runs in the inning. Wedesky pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and four walks before being replaced by Christian Bilkovic.
The Warriors tacked on a run in the seventh when Vesey scored on a Chis Gebara double play.
*Game Two*
Throwing just 81 pitches, WSU starter Greg Speiss shutout the Eagles, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Following an Eric Cunningham single, Gebara drove-in the first Warrior run, singling in Alex Trojan – who was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. Kasey Koster added two more runs with a double, driving in Cunningham and Gebara.
A Kenny Davis RBI single in the sixth inning gave the Warriors a 4-0 lead.
The Warriors close out their series against the Eagles with a doubleheader April 22, starting at noon.
Baseball splits doubleheader at Hillsdale
Baseball splits doubleheader at Hillsdale: The Wayne State baseball team (21-12, 12-8 GLIAC) split its doubleheader with the Hillsdale College Chargers (9-27, 7-17 GLIAC) April 18. The two teams combined to score 42 runs, with the Warriors dropping game one, 11-5, but recovering for a 17-9 victory in game two.
*Game One*
The Warriors struck first, scoring two runs in the top of the second inning. Chris Gebara’s single to right field drove-in Eric Cunningham and Kyle Vesey, who both singled earlier in the inning.
WSU held the lead until the fourth inning when the Chargers went on a tear. They scored six runs off of WSU pitchers Kyle Zimmerman and Kirk Stambaugh. Zimmerman started the game for the Warriors, giving up four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
The Warriors rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth, cutting the deficit to one run after a three-run homer by Kasey Koster.
But Hillsdale pulled away in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five runs to extend their lead. WSU went down in order in the seventh.
*Game Two*
The Warriors took an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Ciennik and an RBI single by Cunningham. Hillsdale got a run back in the bottom of the inning.
A two-run single by Vesey, a sacrifice fly by Alex Trojan and a RBI single from Cunningham gave the Warriors a 6-1 lead.
A seven-run third inning extended the WSU lead to 13-1. Hillsdale followed with a seven-run inning of their own and added a run in the fifth.
Another four-run inning by the Warriors, highlighted by Koster’s second three-run homer of the day, secured the victory for WSU.
WSU hosts Ashland for a four-game series this weekend starting April 21 at 1 p.m.
*Game One*
The Warriors struck first, scoring two runs in the top of the second inning. Chris Gebara’s single to right field drove-in Eric Cunningham and Kyle Vesey, who both singled earlier in the inning.
WSU held the lead until the fourth inning when the Chargers went on a tear. They scored six runs off of WSU pitchers Kyle Zimmerman and Kirk Stambaugh. Zimmerman started the game for the Warriors, giving up four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
The Warriors rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth, cutting the deficit to one run after a three-run homer by Kasey Koster.
But Hillsdale pulled away in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five runs to extend their lead. WSU went down in order in the seventh.
*Game Two*
The Warriors took an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Ciennik and an RBI single by Cunningham. Hillsdale got a run back in the bottom of the inning.
A two-run single by Vesey, a sacrifice fly by Alex Trojan and a RBI single from Cunningham gave the Warriors a 6-1 lead.
A seven-run third inning extended the WSU lead to 13-1. Hillsdale followed with a seven-run inning of their own and added a run in the fifth.
Another four-run inning by the Warriors, highlighted by Koster’s second three-run homer of the day, secured the victory for WSU.
WSU hosts Ashland for a four-game series this weekend starting April 21 at 1 p.m.
Baseball drops crucial doubleheader to Saginaw Valley State
Baseball drops crucial doubleheader to Saginaw Valley State: In a battle for first place in the GLIAC, the Wayne State baseball team (19-10, 10-6 GLIAC) was swept in its doubleheader with the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (14-13, 11-5 GLIAC), April 11 at the WSU baseball field.
With the two losses – 10-6 in game one, 7-3 in game two – the Warriors fell to fourth place in the conference.
*Game One*
The Cardinals got on the board first – scoring one run and then extended their lead to 4-0 in the third.
In the bottom of the inning, WSU cut the deficit in half thanks to a RBI single by Alex Trojan and sacrifice fly from Kyle Vesey.
SVSU added three more runs in the fourth inning, knocking WSU starter Josh Wedesky – who gave up seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings pitched – out of the game.
The Cardinals scored a run in the sixth and added two runs in the seventh for a 10-2 lead.
After a walk to Vesey, consecutive singles by Eric Cunningham and Ryan Butler, and two SVSU errors, the Warriors scored three runs to start the seventh. A RBI single by Brad Guenther scored another run, but that would be all for the Warriors.
*Game Two*
A Trojan base hit to lead-off the second led to a run, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead. WSU didn’t hold the lead for long as the Cardinals scored two runs in the third.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cunningham drove in Kenny Davis to tie the game, 2-2.
The game went into extra innings, and in the top of the eighth, SVSU scored five runs on two Warrior errors.
WSU scored one run in the bottom-half, but its rally was cut short.
With the two losses – 10-6 in game one, 7-3 in game two – the Warriors fell to fourth place in the conference.
*Game One*
The Cardinals got on the board first – scoring one run and then extended their lead to 4-0 in the third.
In the bottom of the inning, WSU cut the deficit in half thanks to a RBI single by Alex Trojan and sacrifice fly from Kyle Vesey.
SVSU added three more runs in the fourth inning, knocking WSU starter Josh Wedesky – who gave up seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings pitched – out of the game.
The Cardinals scored a run in the sixth and added two runs in the seventh for a 10-2 lead.
After a walk to Vesey, consecutive singles by Eric Cunningham and Ryan Butler, and two SVSU errors, the Warriors scored three runs to start the seventh. A RBI single by Brad Guenther scored another run, but that would be all for the Warriors.
*Game Two*
A Trojan base hit to lead-off the second led to a run, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead. WSU didn’t hold the lead for long as the Cardinals scored two runs in the third.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cunningham drove in Kenny Davis to tie the game, 2-2.
The game went into extra innings, and in the top of the eighth, SVSU scored five runs on two Warrior errors.
WSU scored one run in the bottom-half, but its rally was cut short.
Baseball sweeps Northwood, 10-2 and 5-4
Baseball sweeps Northwood, 10-2 and 5-4: The Wayne State baseball team (18-7, 9-3 GLIAC) extended its winning streak to five games, sweeping its doubleheader with the Northwood Timberwolves (13-10, 4-8 GLIAC), April 6.
With the sweep, the Warriors moved into a first place tie with Saginaw Valley in the GLIAC.
*Game One*
The Warriors got off to a quick start, scoring six runs on six hits in the bottom of the first. Alex Trojan and Kenny Davis plated two runs each on singles, and Kasey Koster had an RBI single.
WSU added two more runs in the third inning on a RBI single from Davis, while a fielder’s choice by Brad Guenther plated another.
They scored two more runs in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Ciennik and a two-out RBI single by Trojan.
WSU starter Alex Pierse shut down the Northwood offense, only giving up six hits in five scoreless innings – improving to 3-1 on the season.
Northwood didn’t score until the seventh inning, plating two runs off reliever Justin Sylvester.
*Game Two*
With the score tied at one in the third, the Timberwolves scored three runs on three hits and four Warrior errors.
WSU rallied in the fourth, scoring four runs to take the lead. Gebara led-off the inning with a double, scoring on a single by Davis. Justin DeFrancis followed with a single, advancing Davis to third. After Guenther walked to load the bases, Ciennik’s RBI ground out made the score 4-3. Trojan drove-in the tying and go-ahead runs.
Starter Josh Wedesky – who improved to 4-1 on the season – allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits in six innings of work.
Closer Billy Hurley earned his seventh save of the season despite a shaky seventh inning for the Warriors.
The teams close the series with another doubleheader April 7 starting at noon.
With the sweep, the Warriors moved into a first place tie with Saginaw Valley in the GLIAC.
*Game One*
The Warriors got off to a quick start, scoring six runs on six hits in the bottom of the first. Alex Trojan and Kenny Davis plated two runs each on singles, and Kasey Koster had an RBI single.
WSU added two more runs in the third inning on a RBI single from Davis, while a fielder’s choice by Brad Guenther plated another.
They scored two more runs in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Ciennik and a two-out RBI single by Trojan.
WSU starter Alex Pierse shut down the Northwood offense, only giving up six hits in five scoreless innings – improving to 3-1 on the season.
Northwood didn’t score until the seventh inning, plating two runs off reliever Justin Sylvester.
*Game Two*
With the score tied at one in the third, the Timberwolves scored three runs on three hits and four Warrior errors.
WSU rallied in the fourth, scoring four runs to take the lead. Gebara led-off the inning with a double, scoring on a single by Davis. Justin DeFrancis followed with a single, advancing Davis to third. After Guenther walked to load the bases, Ciennik’s RBI ground out made the score 4-3. Trojan drove-in the tying and go-ahead runs.
Starter Josh Wedesky – who improved to 4-1 on the season – allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits in six innings of work.
Closer Billy Hurley earned his seventh save of the season despite a shaky seventh inning for the Warriors.
The teams close the series with another doubleheader April 7 starting at noon.
Baseball splits doubleheader at Tiffin
Baseball splits doubleheader at Tiffin: In its first GLIAC road games of the season, the Wayne State baseball team (14-7, 5-3 GLIAC) split its doubleheader with the Tiffin Dragons (8-13, 3-5 GLIAC) March 31.WSU dropped the first game 7-6, but rebounded for a 2-0 victory in game two.
Offense dominated game one as the two teams combined for 11 runs over the fourth and fifth innings. WSU took an early lead when Justin DeFrancis led-off the game with a double to right field, scoring on an Alex Trojan single.
Tiffin tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, Kyle Zimmerman reached base after being hit by a pitch. Kasey Koster followed with a single. Zimmerman scored on a fielder’s choice by Kenny Davis – who later scored on a wild pitch. Kyle Vesey singled in DeFrancis – who reached on a bunt single – to give the Warriors a 4-1 lead.
Thanks to three Warrior errors in the bottom of the inning, Tiffin scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead.
WSU regained the lead on a two-run homer by Koster in the top of the fifth. But Tiffin took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the inning, holding on for the win.
Offense dominated game one, but it was the pitching that had the upper-hand in game two.
WSU starter Josh Wedesky pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout for the Warriors.
The game was scoreless through six innings, but a two-run rally in the top of the seventh gave WSU the lead. Vesey led-off the inning with a single and scored on a single by Chris Gebara – who later scored on a single by Davis.
Both contests truly were a tale of two games.
Offense dominated game one as the two teams combined for 11 runs over the fourth and fifth innings. WSU took an early lead when Justin DeFrancis led-off the game with a double to right field, scoring on an Alex Trojan single.
Tiffin tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, Kyle Zimmerman reached base after being hit by a pitch. Kasey Koster followed with a single. Zimmerman scored on a fielder’s choice by Kenny Davis – who later scored on a wild pitch. Kyle Vesey singled in DeFrancis – who reached on a bunt single – to give the Warriors a 4-1 lead.
Thanks to three Warrior errors in the bottom of the inning, Tiffin scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead.
WSU regained the lead on a two-run homer by Koster in the top of the fifth. But Tiffin took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the inning, holding on for the win.
Offense dominated game one, but it was the pitching that had the upper-hand in game two.
WSU starter Josh Wedesky pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout for the Warriors.
The game was scoreless through six innings, but a two-run rally in the top of the seventh gave WSU the lead. Vesey led-off the inning with a single and scored on a single by Chris Gebara – who later scored on a single by Davis.
Both contests truly were a tale of two games.
Women's hoops march on to GLIAC semifinals
Women's hoops march on to GLIAC semifinals: Fresh off its first GLIAC regular season title since 1981, the Wayne State women’s basketball team hosted the Ferris State Bulldogs – its first postseason game at home since 2003 at the Matthaei on March 6 in the GLIAC tournament quarterfinals.
And the Warriors (20-7) did not disappoint the home crowd as they defeated the Bulldogs (13-13) for the third time this season, 68-59.
“We certainly had the momentum early, we got off to a great start, a fast start,” said Warriors head coach Carrie Lohr. “We started with a lot of focus, got a little bit sloppy, but we were able to pull it out.”
WSU got off to a hot start, hitting eight of its first 10 shots. The early charge was led by Talisha Bridges, who scored eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first 5:37 of the game to give the Warriors an 18-7 advantage.
The Warriors continued to dominate the Bulldogs, and at the 10:55 mark of the opening half, led 24-9.
But that’s when the momentum shifted in favor of FSU. WSU’s hot shooting turned cold, and that, coupled with sloppy play, allowed the Bulldogs to make it a 24-21 game with 7:12 to play in the half.
“I thought we looked real flat,” Lohr said. “We lost our spark, lost our energy. We had just kind of lost that fire that we had earlier.”
The Warriors responded, though, getting its lead back to double-digits, 32-22, with 3:41 remaining. They still led by 10 with time winding down when a long three-pointer from Bridges as the buzzer sounded gave WSU a 39-26 lead at halftime.
WSU kept a double-digit lead – leading by as many as 15 points – until the 14:07 mark of the second half as the Bulldogs cut it to nine at 48-39. FSU was only able to get within eight points until, with 2:34 remaining in the game, it trailed by six at 59-53.
But six was as close as the Bulldogs would get as the Warriors closed them out to advance to the GLIAC semifinals.
“I’m just really happy that we were able to keep it together,” Lohr said. “Kudos to Ferris, they really came at us and they wouldn’t go away.”
Bridges was the game’s high-scorer with 21 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Juanita Cochran finished with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.
“Talisha had the hot-hand tonight,” Lohr said. “The way she plays, how hard she plays, she’s not one dimensional by any means.
“If we’re going to be successful, Juanita needs to do that (have an impact on the game),” Lohr said. “It almost like we expect it, she expects it (recording a double-double).”
Kristen Long added 11 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench.
The Warriors will head to Ashland, Ohio for a matchup with the Findlay Oilers on March 9. As the conference’s first-place team, the Ashland Eagles host the remainder of the tournament.
Findlay bested WSU in overtime, 90-84, in January – the only meeting between the two this season.
“I think we’re a better team than we were back then when we first faced them,” Lohr said. “But certainly I would expect that they’re probably a better team too. That game when we played them could have (gone) either way, and I expect it’s probably going to be the same on Saturday. It’s really going to come down to the focus and really valuing every possession.”
And the Warriors (20-7) did not disappoint the home crowd as they defeated the Bulldogs (13-13) for the third time this season, 68-59.
“We certainly had the momentum early, we got off to a great start, a fast start,” said Warriors head coach Carrie Lohr. “We started with a lot of focus, got a little bit sloppy, but we were able to pull it out.”
WSU got off to a hot start, hitting eight of its first 10 shots. The early charge was led by Talisha Bridges, who scored eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first 5:37 of the game to give the Warriors an 18-7 advantage.
The Warriors continued to dominate the Bulldogs, and at the 10:55 mark of the opening half, led 24-9.
But that’s when the momentum shifted in favor of FSU. WSU’s hot shooting turned cold, and that, coupled with sloppy play, allowed the Bulldogs to make it a 24-21 game with 7:12 to play in the half.
“I thought we looked real flat,” Lohr said. “We lost our spark, lost our energy. We had just kind of lost that fire that we had earlier.”
The Warriors responded, though, getting its lead back to double-digits, 32-22, with 3:41 remaining. They still led by 10 with time winding down when a long three-pointer from Bridges as the buzzer sounded gave WSU a 39-26 lead at halftime.
WSU kept a double-digit lead – leading by as many as 15 points – until the 14:07 mark of the second half as the Bulldogs cut it to nine at 48-39. FSU was only able to get within eight points until, with 2:34 remaining in the game, it trailed by six at 59-53.
But six was as close as the Bulldogs would get as the Warriors closed them out to advance to the GLIAC semifinals.
“I’m just really happy that we were able to keep it together,” Lohr said. “Kudos to Ferris, they really came at us and they wouldn’t go away.”
Bridges was the game’s high-scorer with 21 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Juanita Cochran finished with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.
“Talisha had the hot-hand tonight,” Lohr said. “The way she plays, how hard she plays, she’s not one dimensional by any means.
“If we’re going to be successful, Juanita needs to do that (have an impact on the game),” Lohr said. “It almost like we expect it, she expects it (recording a double-double).”
Kristen Long added 11 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench.
The Warriors will head to Ashland, Ohio for a matchup with the Findlay Oilers on March 9. As the conference’s first-place team, the Ashland Eagles host the remainder of the tournament.
Findlay bested WSU in overtime, 90-84, in January – the only meeting between the two this season.
“I think we’re a better team than we were back then when we first faced them,” Lohr said. “But certainly I would expect that they’re probably a better team too. That game when we played them could have (gone) either way, and I expect it’s probably going to be the same on Saturday. It’s really going to come down to the focus and really valuing every possession.”
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