HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — A pair of eight-run innings propelled the Wright State baseball program to an 18-4 series-opening win against Northern Kentucky on Friday afternoon at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
The Raiders (7-12, 2-2 HL) totaled 17 hits in the win, good for their second-highest mark of the 2022 campaign.
Gehrig Anglin led the Raiders offensively by going 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and four runs batted in.
Jay Luikart and
Andrew Patrick finished with three hits apiece, while
Julian Greenwell went 2-for-3 with a career-high four RBI.
Alec Sayre and
Luke Arnold homered in their lone hits of the day.
Justin McConnell and
Sammy Sass contributed with two walks and three runs scored.
Starting pitcher
Jake Shirk (1-4) collected his first win of the year after limiting NKU (6-13, 1-2 HL) to three runs on four hits and one walk in five innings. He was tagged for a run on three hits in the first inning but responded by keeping the Norse off the scoreboard in three of the next four frames.
Brock Nartker and
Henry Von Hollen tossed scoreless outings in relief. Both pitchers struck out two batters compared to no walks.
Entering the second inning trailing 1-0, the Raiders pushed across eight runs on five hits, two walks, and one error. Anglin, Greenwell, and Patrick tallied RBI hits in the frame, while McConnell and Sass added bases-loaded walks.
WSU tacked on its second eight-spot of the game in the fourth inning, extending its lead to 16-1. The Norse recorded two quick outs in the fourth, but the Raiders next eight batters reached base to break the game open. Once again, the trio of Anglin, Greenwell, and Patrick plated runs in the scoring burst. Luikart recorded an RBI single for the first run of the inning, and Sayre blasted a three-run homer over the centerfield wall.
NKU minimized its deficit to 16-3 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth but was limited to just one run for the remainder of the Horizon League contest. In the top of the seventh, Arnold connected on his first collegiate homer, pushing the Raiders run total to 18.
Northern Kentucky's defense had its fair share of miscues with four errors, leading to 11 unearned runs. Starting pitcher Ben Gerl took the loss after being charged for 12 runs, two earned, in 3.2 innings. Michael Hall paced the offense with three of NKU's 10 hits.
The Raiders and Norse will continue their three-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m.
