GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn (5-35, 5-24) baseball team traveled the west side of the state on Friday (Apr. 28) for a doubleheader against WHAC foe Cornerstone University (18-30, 11-19). The Wolverines needed late-inning heroics at De Witt Field to take game one of the four-game series. The Wolverines won game one 7-6 but dropped the nightcap 7-4.
The Wolverines poured five early runs on the Golden Eagles to take an early lead. Matthew Balash started the party with a two-RBI single up the middle to score Mattew Williams and Max McLennan. In the second inning, McLennan notched an infield single to score Grant Ingersoll and give the Wolverines the 3-0 lead. Later in the inning, Evan Morin and Williams each delivered an RBI base knock to provide UM-Dearborn with the 5-0 lead after two.
The Golden Eagles would score four unanswered runs in the second and third inning to trim the Wolverine lead to within one. However, Ingersol lined a single to left field with the bases juiced to score Jack Cronyn on the play. CU would tie it up in the bottom of the sixth after a base knock, but the Wolverines sniffed out the Golden Eagles trying to manufacture a run by cutting down a runner at the plate after CU tried to attempt a steal and stop play.
Nathaniel Wandrie delivered his biggest hit of the season as he smashed a solo home run over the left field fence, giving the Wolverines the one-run lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Nathan Mack came in and finished off the game retiring all three batters he faced in the seventh inning.
Johnny Hesterman gave the Wolverines a strong outing on the mound scattering four runs on five hits and striking out a pair of Golden Eagles. Nathan Mack was credited with the win after reliving Hesterman after five complete innings.
