XENIA, Ohio -- The Wayne State University baseball team (31-19) saw its road in the GLIAC Tournament come to an end on Friday as Hillsdale (25-25) scored four runs in the ninth inning to win 11-8 in an elimination game.
Griffin Harms (Bingham Farms, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) gave the Warriors an 8-7 lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning but the lead would be short lived as the Chargers scored four runs in the top of the ninth to win 11-8.
Entering the game, WSU was 13-0 this season when leading after eight innings and Hillsdale was 0-11 when trailing after eight innings.
WSU is now at the mercy of the selection committee heading into Sunday night's
NCAA Selection Show, which airs online at 10 p.m. Wayne State was ranked third in the last set of rankings, which were released on Wednesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Three first inning walks issued by starter
Jared Tobey (St. Clair, Mich.) led to three runs from Hillsdale.
JT Conti (Trenton, Mich.) answered with a two-run double down the right field line to trim the deficit to one after one inning of play.
- A solo home run from Ethan Wiskur in the top of the third inning gave the Chargers a 4-2 lead but WSU tied the game at 4-4 on a two-run home run from
Justin Kelly (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton Warrenville South) in the bottom of the third inning. Once again, Hillsdale had a quick response as Collin Boerst sent an RBI single into left field in the top of the fourth inning. HC added runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 7-4 lead.
- Back-to-back RBI singles from Kelly and
Tristen Jorah (Clinton Twp., Mich. / Sterling Heights Stevenson) pulled WSU with one in the bottom of the seventh inning. Appearing for the second straight day,
Nolan Dill (Bowling Green, Ohio) shut down the potent Chargers' lineup in the eighth.
Justin Sherman (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk and was sacrificed to second base by
Jeremy Carrell (St. Clair, Mich.). After a line out, Harms gave WSU the lead with towering two-run home run to left field.
- However,
Tyler Tompson (Farmington, Mich.) (1-1) would walk to the lead-off hitter in the top of the ninth inning and HC followed with two singles. The Chargers took the lead on a two-run double and added a run on another RBI double later in the frame. WSU would not generate any offense in the bottom of the ninth as the sixth-seeded Chargers saw their postseason hopes stay alive.
AT THE PLATE
- Harms, Conti, Kelly and Jorah all posted two-hit games, while Kelly drove in three runs to pace the Warriors lineup.
ON THE MOUND
- Tobey allowed five earned runs on six hits and four walks in three and 2/3 innings before
Addison Pawelek (Shelby Twp., Mich. / De La Salle) gave up an earned run in his inning of work.
Taylor Horn (Leo, Ind) allowed an unearned run to score in two and a 1/3 innings. Dill worked a scoreless eighth inning before Tompson gave up four earned runs in his frame.
