CALEDONIA, Mich. - The Davenport baseball team earned a split with Wayne State on Saturday during Senior Day as 12 players were recognized between games of a doubleheader. The Panthers lost 5-2 in game one but rebounded with a 14-12 win in game two.
Karter Fitzpatrick won for the fifth time in a row over the Panthers in another complete-game performance. The Panthers were hitless through the first three innings before
Connor Hnilo led off the fourth inning with a single to right center. Trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Davenport finally got on the board against Fitzpatrick who had not allowed an earned run in his first 12 innings this season.
Logan Todd singled to left and then with two outs, it was
Josh Robinson and
Anthony Aloisio with back-to-back RBI doubles to make it 4-2.
The Warriors scored one more run in the top of the seventh on an error and then Fitzpatrick got a double play to end the game. Owen Tuccinardi hit a three-run home run in the first inning as the first three batters reached base. Mason McGuire also scored on a balk in the fourth inning. Drew Hill went 3-for-4 at the plate in game one with two doubles for Wayne State. Logan Tobel was also 3-for-4 with three singles.
Xander Reisbig also had a double in three at-bats for the Panthers also collected six hits. Fitzpatrick walked two and struck out seven in 108 pitches to improve to 7-2.
Tyler McKinstry took the loss (1-4) going five innings and allowing nine hits and four earned runs with one walk and eight strikeouts.
The Panthers jumped out early in game two with solo home runs by
Michael Tchavdarov and Aloisio in the first inning. Hnilo increased the lead to 3-0 in the second inning on an infield RBI single as Todd scored. The Warriors would then score the next four runs to take the lead. Tuccinardi had a two-run triple down the left field line in the third inning followed by a RBI triple by Tony Hatzigeorgiou and a RBI double by CJ Maury in the fourth inning.
The Panthers regained the lead with four runs in their half of the fourth inning. Two runs would score on an error and then
Coltrane Rubner laced a RBI single to center for a 6-4 lead.
Tyler Mosher was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run. The Warriors were playing catch-up the rest of the game. Kyle Ray hit a two-run home run to right center and Hill had a RBI groundout to cut it to 9-7 in the seventh.
DU responded again with five runs in the seventh to take a 14-7 advantage.
Jared Evans had a RBI single and then got caught in a rundown as Reisbig scored from third to make it 14-7. WSU would end the game with five straight wins as Tuccinardi homered to deep center in a three-run eighth. The Warriors scored two more times in the ninth with one run via an error and another coming on a fielder's choice.
Hnilo finished 2-for-4 with two runs, two walks, and a RBI. Rubner went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Evans went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Todd also went 3-for-5 with a run and a triple.
Jack Snow (1-1) got the win in relief. He tossed 2.2 innings and allowed three hits and two earned runs. Seth Marano (5-3) took the loss for the Warriors in a start going 3.1 innings and allowing six hits and three earned runs with six walks and two punchouts.
The two teams will play tomorrow scheduled for noon at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
