DETROIT — A big third inning was too much to overcome as the Purdue Northwest baseball team fell to Wayne State 23-4 Friday afternoon.
PNW (17-15, 6-11 GLIAC) gave up a lone run in the second inning before the levee would break and Wayne State (28-13, 13-6 GLIAC) plated 10 runs in the third — seven of which were unearned.
Ethan Imlach (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) gave the Pride some life with a leadoff double in the fourth. Two batters later,
Ray Hilbrich's (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) RBI double down the right-field line gave PNW its first run of the game.
The Warriors tallied six more runs for a 17-1 lead before PNW scored again in the seventh inning.
Wayne State starting pitcher Karter Fitzpatrick kept the Pride off balance during the six innings he pitched, giving up just one run on five hits with six strikeouts, two walks and a hit by pitch.
Fitzpatrick exited the game with a comfortable lead going into the top of the seventh inning and PNW would draw three consecutive walks to start the inning before a second pitching change was made.
Jake Soules (Troy, Mich./Troy High School) then deposited a single to left field to score
Gannon Andrews (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern High School) and
Luke Montgomery (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence High School), then
Tyler Schultz (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) later reached safely on an error by the Wayne State right fielder that also saw Imlach score on the play. Soules, Hilbrich and
Alex Gasbarro (New Lenox, Ill./St. Laurence High School) finished with two hits each with all three picking up a double on the day. Soules drove in a pair while Hilbrich and Schultz drove in one each.
Joe Buikema (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) (3-2) took the loss on the mound for PNW, going just 2.1 innings allowing seven runs with four being earned on just two hits and two strikeouts.
UP NEXT
Both teams will return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader as the Pride look to bounce back and end their two-game losing streak. First pitch for the day is slated for noon CDT at Wayne State's Harwell Field.
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
For all the latest information on Purdue Northwest Baseball, please visit PNWathletics.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Pride (@pnwathletics / @PNW_Baseball) on Twitter. You can also find the Pride on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
