GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - You really can't ask for anything more than deciding a conference championship head-to-head on the field. That's the scenario beginning tomorrow (May 5) as the Davenport baseball team still has hopes alive for a third consecutive GLIAC championship. The Panthers will travel to league-leading Wayne State for a four-game set which will determine the 2023 conference king. The Panthers currently are two games behind the 12th-ranked Warriors and would need to win 3-of-4 this weekend in order to get at least a share of the title.

LAST TIME OUT VERSUS WSU
The first two games of this year's season series took place back on March 24 in Detroit as well for the conference opener. The Warriors used steady pitching to a sweep of the Panthers by scores of 4-3 and 4-1 at Harwell Field. The three through six hitters in the Warrior lineup each had one RBI in game one. Hunter DeLanoy and Rudy Ramirez each went 2-for-3 with a double. Tony Hatzigeorgiou hit a solo home run in the second inning which gave Wayne State a 2-0 lead. The Panthers scored the next three runs to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. Caleb Anspaugh had the big hit with a two-RBI single to center.

Ramirez had his RBI double in the sixth to tie the game and Chris Tanderys followed with a RBI double to left which scored Ramirez with the winning run. Ryan Korolden was the story in game two for the Warriors with a nine-inning, complete game performance. He allowed just three hits and one run with a walk and eight strikeouts. Isaac Van Dyke got the start for Davenport and went five innings allowing five hits and three runs with two walks and four strikeouts.

Tanderys went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in game two. Tanderys had his two-RBI triple in the first inning and later had a RBI single in the fourth inning. Carter Troncin had a solo homer in the fifth inning for DU's scoring. Troncin finished with two of DU's three hits on the day and Logan Hylek had the other with a double in three at-bats.

PLAYER NOTES

• The Panthers went 14-4 in the month of April to put themselves into a position to compete for the GLIAC championship. Leading the way in that charge was Coltrane Rubner. He was inserted into the leadoff spot and has been the engine that starts the offense. In April, he batted .476 (20-of-42) in 11 games at leadoff with 22 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBI. He also drew 13 walks for a 60 percent on-base clip. He also was able to go 5-for-5 in the stolen base department.
• Senior outfielder Gaetano Vallone also has stepped up his production. He batted .284 in the month of March, but has turned it around in April with a .433 batting average going 29-of-67 at the plate with 24 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, four home runs, and a team-leading 25 RBI. He had a great eye at the plate with 12 walks and just three strikeouts for a 50 percent on-base clip.
• Senior reliever Spencer Vainavicz has been Mr. Reliable out of the bullpen in April. He made nine appearances and went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings. He also had just five walks and 19 strikeouts while holding the opponents to a .178 batting average with no extra-base hits.

GVSU SERIES WRAPUP
The Panthers did what they needed to do and that was win 4-of-5 games against the Lakers to put themselves within striking distance of Wayne State. The four wins all came on one-run thrillers. The games were low-scoring as the team pitching took center stage. The Panthers hit .277 as a team and limited the Lakers to .264 which was well below their season average coming into the weekend. Davenport posted a 3.43 ERA as a team compared to 2.57 for the Lakers. Rubner batted .435 going 10-for-23 with five runs. Josh Robinson batted .357 going 5-for-14 with two doubles. 

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Wayne State is in the midst of one of their best seasons ever with an overall record of 35-9 including a 21-5 mark in conference play. They have won six in a row heading into Friday's game and are 11-1 at home. After a loss to Saginaw Valley State on April 23, the Warriors put together back-to-back, one-run wins against Hillsdale (11-10) on April 25 and Parkside (8-7) on April 28. The Warriors then proceeded to win the last three games of the Parkside series by a combined 21-5. 

They are fresh off a 6-1 win on Wednesday at Saginaw Valley State avenging their earlier loss. DeLanoy went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Ramirez, Tanderys, and Noah Miller also had one RBI. Kaden Stively got the win in relief (2-1) going 5.2 innings and allowing six hits and no runs with two walks and six punchouts. David Thurman notched his first save of the season by getting the final out with the bases loaded.

Ramirez leads the team with a .382 batting average (60-for-157) this season. He has started in all 44 games for the Warriors with 17 doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 49 RBI. Tanderys is the team's lead run producer with 53 RBI and is batting .352 with 12 doubles, two triples, and seven long balls. Wayne State sports the 10th-best ERA in Division II (3.65) and is led by Korolden and Karter Fitzpatrick. Think of a Verlander-Scherzer comparison back in the glory days of the Detroit Tigers. Korolden is 7-1 in nine starts with a 2.24 ERA which is 22nd nationally and second in the GLIAC. Fitzpatrick is 8-1 in nine starts with a 2.40 ERA and 54 strikeouts to lead the team.

LIVE COVERAGE
Friday, May 5 at Wayne State (3:00 PM) - Live Video ($) - Live Stats
Saturday, May 6 at Wayne State (1:00 PM DH) - Live Video ($) - Live Stats
Sunday, May 7 at Wayne State (1:00 PM) - Live Video ($) - Live Stats