ATLANTA — The Wright State baseball program rallied back from a four-run deficit with five runs in the ninth inning, but No. 11 Georgia Tech scored twice in the bottom of the frame, resulting in a 9-8 season-opening loss for the Raiders. 

WSU (0-1) will look to even the series on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra. 

Trailing 7-3 in the top of the ninth inning, Wright State (0-1) scored five runs on three hits, three walks, and two errors. The first six batters in the inning reached base, which included an RBI single by Alec Sayre. Justin Riemer gave the Raiders an 8-7 edge with two outs in the inning by delivering a pinch-hit two-run single, scoring Sammy Sass and Alec Sayre. The at-bat was the first of his collegiate career. 

Georgia Tech got runners on first and second with no outs after a fielding error and hit batter in the bottom of the ninth inning. The pair scored off an error by WSU's center fielder, clinching a walk-off victory for the Yellow Jackets.

Aaron Ernst earned the season-opening start for WSU, allowing one run on two hits and three walks in 2.1 innings of work. In the opening frame, he struck out two batters, which was his first appearance in nearly three years. Garret Simpson provided vital support in relief by allowing no runs and no hits in two innings of work. Tristan Haught also pitched two innings, matching his career-high in strikeouts with four. Jay Luikart (0-1) took the loss after allowing two unearned runs in one-third of an inning. 

Sass led the Raiders at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in. Sayre batted 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Luikart reached base three times on a single and two walks. Justin McConnell hit a double in the seventh inning to extend his on-base streak to 24 games. 

The Raiders had success offensively, batting .357 (5-of-14) with two outs and .316 (6-of-19) with runners in scoring position. WSU finished with 10 hits but struck out 17 times. Defensively, Wright State was errorless after eight innings of play before committing two in the final inning. 

Tied 0-0 in the top of the third inning, WSU was trending toward another scoreless frame with consecutive outs. However, Luikart walked and Sayre singled to keep the inning alive. Sass took full advantage of the opportunity, putting the Raiders in front with a three-run homer just over the right-field wall. 

Tech stranded runners on the base in the first four innings, scoring just one run in the process, but broke through in the fifth inning with three runs on three hits, giving the Yellow Jackets a 4-3 advantage. The home squad plated three insurance runs over the subsequent three frames to extend their lead to 7-3 by the ninth. 

The Jackets improved to 1-0 on the season after overcoming WSU's late charge.