The Wayne State University baseball team improved its season record to 7-1 after defeating Lewis 6-4 in the final game of a four-game series on Sunday in Millington, Tennessee. Wayne State established an early lead, scoring five runs before Lewis responded with four runs across the fourth and fifth innings. The Warriors added an insurance run in the eighth inning to secure a two-run victory.
Wayne State opened the scoring in the first inning when Owen Tuccinardi drove in Rhett Roeser with a groundout, followed by Drew Hill’s RBI single that brought home Bennett Hitzelberger. In the third inning, Tony Hatzigeorgiou singled to center field, allowing both Roeser and Tuccinardi to score. The team’s fifth run came in the fourth as Hitzelberger’s sacrifice fly scored Ty Garza.
Lewis closed the gap by scoring all of its runs during the fourth and fifth innings. However, Wayne State extended its lead back to two runs in the eighth when Garza scored on a wild pitch.
Starting pitcher Gabe Nazelli went 4.2 innings for Wayne State, allowing four runs—only one earned—on seven hits while recording three walks and four strikeouts over 92 pitches. Philip Miller was first out of the bullpen and earned his second win of the season after pitching 3.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks over 46 pitches.
Rocco Cardinale closed out the game for his second career save and first of this season by pitching a scoreless ninth inning on just seven pitches with one strikeout.
The Warriors will next face Findlay in a four-game series at Xavier’s Hayden Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Wayne State University’s men’s baseball program plays its home games in Detroit, Michigan according to their official website. The team competes at the NCAA Division II level as part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and is known as ‘the Warriors’, with ‘W the Warrior’ serving as their mascot.
