Wayne State University’s baseball team faced a challenging start to their series against Florida Southern, falling 10-3 in the opener at Henley Field. The game marked the beginning of a four-game set between Wayne State and the 20th-ranked Florida Southern, which improved its record to 20-5 with this victory.
Florida Southern took an early lead with two runs in the first inning and another in the second. Wayne State responded in the third inning when Tony Hatzigeorgiou’s groundout allowed Caleb Sanders to score from third base after his lead-off triple. However, Florida Southern added another run in their half of the third.
The Warriors managed to narrow the gap to 4-2 by the seventh inning. In that frame, Jacoby Dale scored following Drew Hill’s play. Despite these efforts, Florida Southern extended their lead significantly by adding three runs each in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Wayne State scored once more in the ninth inning with Owen Tuccinardi doubling Gabe Zeldes home for their final run of the game.
On the pitching front, Will DeMasse was tagged with the loss after six innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits while recording two walks and three strikeouts. Keegan Pulford-Thorpe struggled out of the bullpen, giving up a three-run homer after facing just one batter. Drew Hill closed out for Wayne State, conceding three earned runs over one and two-thirds innings pitched.
The series will continue with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
