GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport baseball team will try and build momentum after Wednesday's walk-off winner against Grand Valley State as they start a four-game weekend set against Wayne State on Friday beginning at 4 PM. The series will continue on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for 1 PM. DU will be honoring 12 seniors between games on Saturday. The series will wrap up on Sunday with a noon first-pitch.

LAST GAME ACTION
 Anthony Aloisio provided the late-game heroics on Wednesday night in a 6-5 win over visiting Grand Valley State in the first of six games between the teams. With a tie game at 2-2 into the bottom of the eighth inning, Aloisio launched a three-run home run for his sixth of the season which gave DU a 5-2 lead. Connor Hnilo walked to start the rally and then Will Goebel came into pitch for the Lakers. Goebel had allowed just one home run all season but hit Josh Robinson with a pitch and then surrendered the go-ahead blast to left field. Coltrane Rubner doubled to right center and Xander Reisbig walked to send Goebel out of the game. Logan Wynalda kept the score 5-2 with three outs which would prove important heading into the ninth inning.

Jack Snow got the first out and Brayden Flanders got a strikeout for two quick outs. The final out though proved to be very difficult as Flanders walked three straight batters all on full counts. He then hit Jake Rydquist with a pitch to force in the Lakers' third run. He walked Ayden VanEnkevort on yet another full count for the fourth run and hit Ryan Dykstra on the first pitch he saw to tie the game at 5-5.

Tyler Kapa came in to put out the fire on three pitches as he struck out Connor Schuman to keep it tied heading into the bottom of the ninth. Hnilo had an infield single with one out and Robinson struck out but Hnilo stole second on the third strike and took third on a throwing error. Aloisio sent the Panthers home happy with a 2-0 count walk-off single up the middle to score Hnilo easily for the 6-5 triumph.

Isaac Van Dyke and Cade Kontny pitched eight combined innings and each allowed just one run. Kontny had a season-high, four-inning performance and struck out three. Allan Thorington got the start for the Lakers and lasted four innings. He gave up one earned run and fanned a pair of Panthers. Owen Avery tossed three innings and allowed two hits and one run with one walk and four strikeouts. Kapa improved to 1-2 with the win and Wynalda is now 0-4 on the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Josh Robinson has reached base safely in 40 straight games after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning of yesterday's game against Grand Valley State. Unfortunately, his 16-game hit streak was snapped as he went 0-for-4 with a run scored against the Lakers. Robinson leads the team with a .382 batting average this season and also leads the team in runs (35), hits (55), doubles (12), and is in a tie for home runs (6). Robinson is also batting .360 in GLIAC contests with 20 runs, six doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 20 RBI. Davenport is hitting .291 (198-for-680) in GLIAC games which is 14 percentage points higher from their overall batting average in 41 total games. The Panthers have posted a 4.23 ERA in 10 home games this season compared to a 6.47 ERA overall in all contests. Austin VanderMarkt has thrown 12 innings at home and not allowed an earned run with a 2-0 record. He has allowed just five hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts. Jared Evans leads the team in home games with a batting average of .385 going 10-for-26 with five runs scored, two doubles, and three RBI.

SERIES HISTORY
Davenport leads the all-time series by a 15-11 margin dating back to the 2018 season when they joined the GLIAC. The Panthers had great success against the Warriors early in the series winning 13 of the first 15 contests between the teams. The trend has shifted in recent years as the Warriors have won eight of the last 10 meetings including five in a row. The Warriors took both games of a doubleheader earlier this season on Mar. 23 in Hammond, Ind. by scores of 12-0 and 6-2. Karter Fitzpatrick threw a complete game of seven innings and allowed just two hits and no runs with a walk and 10 strikeouts for the Warriors in game one. VanderMarkt took the loss in three innings and gave up three runs on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Bennett Hitzelberger drove in three runs for WSU while Aloisio and Chase Kemp each had a single off Fitzpatrick. Griffin Kilander got the game two win going seven innings and allowing one earned run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts for the Warriors. Flanders took the loss in relief for DU allowing five runs in 3.2 innings with a walk and six strikeouts. Hitzelberger had a double and two RBI in game two for the Warriors. Aloisio had the lone RBI for the Panthers with a double in the seventh inning.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Five Wayne State regulars are hitting close to or above the .300 mark including Kyle Ray (.340), Tony Hatzigeorgiou (.331), Drew Hill (.325), Mason McGuire (.318) and CJ Maury (.296).  On the bump, Fitzpatrick has accumulated the most innings pitched with 65 and a team-leading 3.60 ERA. The season's first NCAA regional rankings were released on Wednesday and the Warriors were one of nine squads featured. The NCBWA regional rankings currently have Wayne State as No. 6 in the Midwest.

LIVE COVERAGE
Friday, April 26 - Wayne State - 4:00 PM - Live Video (Flosports) - Live Stats
Saturday, April 27 - Wayne State (DH) - 1:00 PM - Live Video (Flosports) - Live Stats
Sunday, April 28 - Wayne State - 12:00 PM - Live Video (Flosports) - Live Stats