FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Wright State baseball program clinched a Horizon League series win by taking down Purdue Fort Wayne 17-11 on Saturday afternoon at Warrior Field.
WSU (11-13, 6-2 HL) will look to collect its sixth-straight road victory and its second series sweep in a row tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Alec Sayre led the Raiders in the slugfest by going 3-for-6 at the plate with a pair of homers and a career-high seven runs batted in.
Gehrig Anglin batted 3-for-6 with two runs scored, while
Justin Riemer and
Julian Greenwell tallied two hits and two RBI apiece.
Jay Luikart had a two-run triple and added two walks.
As a team, the Raiders drew 14 free bases, including 11 by way of walk. Wright State also finished with four stolen bases.
Justin McConnell had a team-high three walks and two steals, while
Andrew Patrick walked twice and stole a base in addition to an RBI bunt single.
Starting pitcher
Sebastian Gongora lasted four innings on the mound, allowing nine runs, eight earned, on nine hits and three walks.
Garret Simpson (2-0) earned the win in relief after giving up one run on three hits in one inning.
Tristan Haught shined out of the pen, limiting Purdue Fort Wayne (4-21, 2-6 HL) to just one run on two hits in the last four innings of action. He struck out a season-high five batters compared to no walks en route to collecting his first save of the year.
WSU got off to a hot start offensively, resulting in a 15-2 advantage going into the bottom of the third inning.
The Raiders reached the scoreboard with a bases-loaded walk in the opening frame before pushing across four runs on an RBI single by Riemer and a three-run homer off the bat of Sayre in the second.
Wright State broke the game open in the third frame, bringing 14 batters to the plate on its way to 10 runs on four hits, five walks, two hit by pitch, and three wild pitches. Sayre highlighted the scoring burst with a grand slam, increasing his RBI total to seven. Luikart recorded a two-run triple, while Greenwell plated two runs on a bases-loaded HBP and an RBI groundout.
PFW stormed back with eight unanswered runs over the next four innings to reduce its deficit to 15-10. Cade Fitzpatrick and Garett Lake homered in the span, while relief pitcher Brian Skelton shut down the Raider offense with three consecutive scoreless innings.
However, WSU turned two hits and two walks into a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, cushioning its edge to 17-10. The 'Dons were held to one run for the remainder of the contest, securing a series victory for the Raiders.
