BLACKSBURG, Va. — The Wright State baseball program exploded for a season-high 19 hits en route to an 11-5 victory over previously undefeated Virginia Tech on Friday afternoon.Â
WSU (1-6) will continue its three-game set on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at English Field.
Eight Raiders had multi-hit performances in the series-opening win, led by
Andrew Patrick, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four runs batted in.
Justin McConnell batted 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while the trio of
Alec Sayre,
Zane Harris, and
Jay Luikart reached base three times on two hits and a walk.
Julian Greenwell contributed offensively by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a hit by pitch.Â
After being tagged for four runs in the opening frame, starting pitcher
Aaron Ernst composed himself by holding the Hokies (7-1) to no runs and no hits in his last 2.2 innings of work. On the day, the right-hander tallied a season-high six strikeouts.
Garret Simpson pitched 4.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one run on three hits and no walks while also punching out four batters.
Tristan Haught tossed a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win.Â
Defensively, WSU was errorless for the first time this season.Â
Virginia Tech opened a 4-0 lead in the first inning, punctuated by a three-run homer off the bat of Eduardo Malinowski. However, the Raiders plated five runs in the top of the second inning to earn a 5-4 advantage.Â
WSU's first five batters singled in the second-inning scoring spurt, with McConnell, Patrick, and Greenwell driving in four combined runs. Harris capped off the inning with an RBI double to center field.
The Raiders added to their lead in the third inning, as
Luke Arnold was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a sac fly by Patrick.Â
Tech cut its deficit to 6-5 in the fifth inning, scoring one run on two hits.
Gehrig Anglin answered back in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer to extend Wright State's edge to 8-5. Still leading 8-5 in the eighth inning, the Raiders added three insurance runs, thanks to an RBI single by McConnell and a two-run double off the bat of Patrick.Â
The Hokies were limited to no runs on just one hit in their last two innings, securing the win for WSU.
