Purdue Northwest Baseball Falls to Wayne State in High-Scoring Battle
The Purdue Northwest baseball team fought hard against Wayne State (Mich.) on Friday but ultimately fell short in a 10-6 loss at Labors' Local 41 Field.
The Basics:

• Records: Purdue Northwest (9-11, 1-6 GLIAC), Wayne State (12-14, 2-1 GLIAC)
• Location: Hammond, Indiana (Labors' Local 41 Field)
• GLIAC Conference Game

The Breakdown
Game 1: L (10-6) – 7 Innings

• Mitchell Stanton (South Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) started for PNW, pitching 5.1 innings, striking out four, and allowing four earned runs.
• Owen Walkowiak (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean) followed in relief, surrendering three runs and walking three batters in 0.1 innings.
• Wayne State's Nate Baker (1-0) earned the win, allowing no runs in 2.2 innings pitched while striking out five.
• Drake Ballard (Louisville, Ky./Martha Laynes Collins) got the Pride on the board in the third with an RBI single, scoring Braylon Holland (Hobart, Ind./Andrean). Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) followed with a three-run double to left center, bringing in AJ Reid (Highland, Ind./Highland), Kam Earley (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights), and Joey Guiliano (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North), giving PNW a 4-0 advantage.
• Wayne State responded in the fourth with four runs, including an RBI single from Andrew Arbogast and a run-scoring hit from Trent Garza, tying the game at 4-4.
• In the fifth, PNW took the lead again as Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) singled to right, scoring Earley. A passed ball then allowed Reid to cross home plate, extending the lead to 6-4.
• Wayne State surged ahead in the sixth, as Jacoby Dale doubled to right-center, clearing the bases and putting the Warriors up 8-6.
• The Warriors added two more runs in the seventh, capitalizing on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Chris Sanders, sealing the 10-6 victory.

Game 2: L (13-4) – 9 Innings

• Doug Loden (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) (0-1) took the loss for PNW, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in two innings.
• Jorge Zavala (Chicago, Ill./Holy Trinity) provided two innings of relief, giving up one earned run and striking out three.
• Jacob Chajet (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) and Aiden Green (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) combined to pitch the final five innings, surrendering four additional runs.
• Wayne State's W. DeMasse (2-1) earned the win, pitching eight strong innings with three strikeouts while allowing four runs (three earned).
• Wayne State wasted no time jumping ahead, scoring eight runs in the second inning. The rally was fueled by a three-run homer from B. Hitzelber and RBI singles from C. Sanders, M. McGuire, and J. Dale.
• PNW responded in the fourth inning when Cole Olson (Stanton, Mich./Central Montcalm) singled to right, driving in Owen Bendis (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) to put the Pride on the board. In the fifth, Joey Guiliano (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) tripled to left field, scoring two runs and later coming home on an error, cutting the deficit to 9-4.
• Wayne State extended its lead in the sixth with an RBI single by T. Garza and put the game out of reach in the eighth when D. Hill doubled to right center, driving in three more runs to seal the 13-4 victory.
• PNW managed eight hits on the day, led by Guiliano's two RBIs and Jax Kalemba's (Chicago, Ill./Andrean) double. Despite their efforts, the Pride couldn't overcome Wayne State's offensive surge.

Up Next:
The Pride will look to bounce back as they continue their series against Wayne State game four of the series March 30^th, at 11:00 AM.