UTICA, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn baseball team split an exciting doubleheader against Lawrence Tech to stay in the race for a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament bid on Saturday at Jimmy John's Field in Utica, Mich.
The Wolverines led by one heading to the bottom of the ninth of game one, but the Blue Devils rallied with a two-run single to walk off for a 6-5 win. UM-Dearborn answered in game two, exploding for 12 runs in the third in a 21-2 win in seven innings, setting a new program record for runs scored and hits in a game.
The split moves UM-Dearborn to 17-23-1 overall and 10-10 in the WHAC. The Wolverines will need a sweep on Sunday and a loss by Cornerstone University to Indiana Tech in a game that is tied at 4-4 but was postponed on Saturday before its conclusion.
In game one, the Wolverines took the lead four times before LTU tied the score at 4-4 in the fifth. UM-Dearborn regained a one-run lead with an RBI single from Andrew Capone in the seventh. LTU's game-winning hit came in the ninth on a two-run single.
Shaun Hannibal finished with three hits, while Antonio Carta and Justin Dolney added two each. Matt Buhagiar took the loss on the mound, allowing two runs on three hits in an inning of relief.
Despite the tough loss in the opener, the Wolverines responded quickly. After LTU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game two, the Wolverines scored 21 times unanswered. The big inning came in the third and included two-run hits for Daniel Kerr, Dolney, and Jacob Leija before Hannibal capped the frame with a three-run home run.
Capone added a three-run home run in the fourth as the Wolverines continued to pull away. John Dyda got the win on the mound, pitching five innings, allowing one run on two hits in five innings. Capone, Kerr, Leija and Cole VanWagoner each recorded three hits.
The Wolverines travel to Rochester College for a doubleheader to conclude the regular season at 1 pm Saturday in Rochester Hills, Mich.
