UTICA, Mich. — Fifth-seeded Parkside knocked off No. 15 nationally ranked Wayne State, 8-5, on Thursday morning in the opening round of the GLIAC Tournament at Jimmy John's Field. The Rangers advanced in the double-elimination bracket after defeating the tournament's No. 2 seed. The victory also marked the first GLIAC Tournament win in program history for Parkside.
Parkside wasted no time offensively, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning.
Benjamin Loyd singled before
Dylan Sayles followed with a base hit. After a passed ball brought home Loyd,
Josh Wicker delivered an RBI single to score Sayles. Later in the inning,
John Wubben added an RBI single to give the Rangers a 3-0 advantage.
Wayne State answered in the bottom half of the inning when Owen Tuccinardi launched a solo home run to center field, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
The Rangers extended the lead in the third as
Noah Goddard connected on a solo homer to left-center field, pushing the advantage to 4-1.
Starter
Brennen Miller worked 4.1 innings for Parkside, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three. With runners on in the fifth inning,
Isaiah Terrell entered out of the bullpen and delivered a key shutdown moment, recording the final two outs of the inning to keep the Rangers in front.
Parkside added another insurance run in the fifth inning. Sayles singled and later scored on
Joe Mrowiec's RBI single to right field, making it 5-1.
Wayne State rallied in the sixth inning after a pair of hits and a Parkside error allowed two unearned runs to score, trimming the lead to 5-3.
Michael Merline worked through the inning before
Austin Grube took over in the seventh.
The Rangers responded immediately with their biggest inning of the game in the seventh.
Joe Mrowiec crushed a two-run homer to right field after
Josh Wicker reached on a fielder's choice, extending the lead to 7-3. Later in the inning,
Nolan Maciejewski drove in
Trace Kirchberg with an RBI single to give Parkside an 8-3 cushion.
Wayne State answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Tuccinardi and an RBI single from Bennett Hitzelberger, cutting the lead to 8-5 heading into the late innings.
Kyler Kennen then turned in one of the biggest relief appearances of the season for the Rangers. Entering in the eighth inning with momentum shifting toward Wayne State, Kennen tossed a scoreless frame and worked around traffic to preserve the three-run lead.
Leo Berger followed in the ninth and shut the door to earn his fourth save of the season.
Parkside totaled 15 hits in the victory. Mrowiec finished 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, while Goddard added a homer and two RBI. Loyd recorded two hits, Sayles collected two hits and scored twice, and Wicker added two hits and two RBI.
Parkside advances further into the GLIAC Tournament bracket following the historic upset victory over the nationally ranked Warriors.
Up Next
The Rangers will face the winner of the Saginaw Valley State and Davenport matchup on Friday, May 8, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
For all things Parkside Baseball and links to live coverage, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
