The Wright State baseball team scored three-runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday afternoon for a 7-5 come from behind victory at UIC to open the four-game weekend series and remain undefeated in Horizon League play.
 
The Raiders (9-5, 9-0 HL) and the Flames (3-8, 2-3 HL) continue the four-game series with a pair of games on Saturday, with game one starting at 1 p.m. ET with game two to follow. 
 
For Horizon League doubleheaders throughout the season, the first game will be a 7 inning game with the second game being a 9 inning game. If game one of the doubleheader goes extra innings then game two becomes a 7 inning game.
 
The Raiders have now won nine straight games and actually came from behind twice on Friday, first in the fifth inning when they posted four runs after UIC took an early two-run lead and then in the eighth after the Flames had just plated three runs in the seventh to regain the lead.
 
Trailing 5-4 entering the eighth inning, Wright State saw Tyler Black open the frame with a walk before scoring two batters later on Sammy Sass' RBI single through the left side to tie the game. Moments later, Sass scored on Jay Luikart's triple into left that just got under the outstretched diving attempt from UIC's Garrett McCarthy. Luikart added to the lead when he scored on a Flames fielding error.
 
UIC took the early lead with a two-run single in the third inning, but the Raiders jumped ahead in the fifth, first on an Alex Alders RBI single before later in the frame Quincy Hamilton sent one off the building beyond the right field wall for a three-run shot, his team-leading fifth homer of the season.
 
The Flames tied the game in the seventh on a pair of RBI singles before executing a steal of home in a situation with runners on first and third later in the inning to set up the Raider eighth inning comeback.
 
Jake Schrand struck out 10 batters over 6.1 innings but did not factor into the decision after allowing three runs and seven hits. Jake Shirk was credited with the win after allowing two runs in 0.2 inning of work as the pitcher of record when the Raiders took the lead in the eighth. Mitch Gremling tallied his first save of the season, striking out two batters without allowing a hit over the final two innings.
 
Damon Dies and Alders each had two hits, while Hamilton's three RBI led the way in that category. Hamilton and Black each drew two walks as well as the Raiders finished with nine hits overall.
 
UIC received seven of its 10 hits from the top of the lineup in the loss, with three hits coming from Thomas Smart and a pair of two hits out of Bryan Rosario and Ryan Nagelbach. Starter Jacob Key allowed four runs on five hits with five strikeouts over seven innings but didn't factor in the decision, as reliever Chris Torres drew the loss after allowing the three Raider runs in the eighth inning.