DAYTON — The Wright State baseball program spit a doubleheader to Oakland on Sunday afternoon at Nischwitz Stadium. The Raiders took the opener 14-2 before dropping the nightcap 6-5.
Game 1 - Oakland 2, Wright State 14
The Raiders (6-11, 1-2 HL) got the bats going in game one with nine extra-base hits, including a season-high five roundtrips.
Alec Sayre led Wright State in the Horizon League matchup by going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, a home run, and four runs batted in.
Jay Luikart went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI while
Julian Greenwell blasted a triple and a solo home run en route to three RBI.
Gehrig Anglin hit a three-run homer, and
Justin McConnell added a solo shot over the left-field wall.
WSU finished with 15 hits, good for its second-highest mark of the 2022 campaign. Nine individuals collected hits in the victory, while six tallied one or more RBI. The Raiders also displayed a patient approach at the plate, walking five times and reaching twice on hit by pitch.
Sebastian Gongora (1-1) earned a quality start and the win by limiting Oakland (6-11, 2-1 HL) to two runs, one earned, on four hits and three walks in six innings of work. The left-hander struck out a career-high seven batters, including two or more in the first and fifth frames.
Brock Nartker,
Riley Perlich, and
Henry Von Hollen pitched a scoreless inning apiece out of the bullpen to seal the victory.
The WSU defense was errorless for the fifth time this season, helping the pitching staff with 10 assists, including a run-saving outfield assist by Sayre in the second inning.
Leading 1-0, the Raiders broke the game open with a seven-run third inning. Anglin, Greenwell, and McConnell homered in the frame, while Sayre added an RBI single. In his second plate appearance of the inning, Greenwell tacked on another RBI with a sac fly scoring Luikart from third.
The Golden Grizzlies reduced their deficit to 8-1 with a run in the fourth inning, but WSU answered back with four more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Greenwell's special day continued as he ripped an RBI triple. Riemer followed with an RBI single and reached home off a two-run homer by Sayre.
In the bottom of the sixth, Wright State reached the scoreboard for the final time as Luikart joined the power brigade with a two-run homer, pushing the Raider edge to 14-2.
Game 2 - Oakland 6, Wright State 5
Oakland led from the first inning forward, clinching the series with a 6-5 win in game two.
Trailing 6-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Riemer cut WSU's deficit to one with a two-run single scoring Greenwell and Luikart. However, Sayre followed with a hard-hit groundout to third base, concluding the home contest.
Once again, the Raiders were paced by Sayre on offense, as he batted 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored. Anglin homered for the second time in the doubleheader, finishing with a team-leading three RBI. Greenwell reached base three times on two walks and a double, while Riemer drove in a season-best two runs.
Josh Laisure (0-2) took the loss in his first collegiate start after giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits and five walks in 2.2 innings.
Garret Simpson and
Tristan Haught allowed two runs apiece in relief before
Chris Gallagher shut down Oakland's offense with three scoreless frames. Luikart was WSU's final pitcher to make an appearance, tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
The Wright State defense committed two errors, resulting in an unearned run in the first inning. Oakland extended its lead to 4-0 with one run in the third and two more in the fourth.
The Raiders closed Oakland's advantage to 4-2 thanks to a two-run homer off the bat of Anglin. The Golden Grizzlies responded with two runs of their own in the following inning, extending their edge to 6-2.
The four-run deficit was too much for WSU to overcome over the last four innings, resulting in its first series loss of the season at home.
WSU will return to action on Tuesday, March 22, at Ohio State. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.
