DAYTON — Head coach
Alex Sogard earned his 100th career win at the helm of the Wright State baseball program as the Raiders swept Northern Kentucky on Saturday at Nischwitz Stadium. WSU took the opener 3-0 in seven innings before downing the Norse 8-0 in game two.
Wright State (17-19, 10-4 HL) collected back-to-back shutouts for the first time in seven seasons. The feat last occurred in 2016, when the Raiders defeated Dayton 1-0 and followed with a 14-0 victory against Eastern Michigan.
Game 1 (7 innings) - NKU 0, Wright State 3
Starting pitcher
Jake Shirk (4-4) tossed a complete-game shutout for the Raiders, allowing just six hits and one walk while striking out a career-high eight batters.
After Shirk struck out the first two batters in the top of the seventh inning, NKU (13-25, 7-11 HL) got runners on second and third with consecutive hits. However, Shirk induced a groundout to third base to seal the victory for WSU.
Zane Harris paced the Raiders offensively, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI.
Alec Sayre batted 1-for-3 with a run scored, while
Julian Greenwell and
Sammy Sass added singles.
Gehrig Anglin tallied two walks and two runs.
Scoreless in the bottom of the fourth inning, Harris put Wright State in front with an RBI double, plating Anglin from first base. Sayre led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and came around to score on a wild pitch. Anglin walked in the same frame and reached home on another wild pitch by the Norse, pushing WSU's lead to 3-0.
NKU's Kaden Echeman (1-7) was charged with the loss after giving up three runs on five hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. Griffin Kain and Brandon Tucker each finished with two hits.
Game 2 (9 innings) - NKU 0, Wright State 8
The trio of
Aaron Ernst,
Tristan Haught (2-1), and
Donnie Nicodemus combined for the shutout in game two, scattering eight hits and four walks over nine innings while punching out eight batters.
Ernst —making his first start since early March — had three strikeouts compared to no walks in two innings of scoreless work. Haught earned the winning decision, as he allowed just four hits and two walks in a season-high 5.2 innings. Nicodemus recorded the last four outs, allowing just one hit in the process.
The Raiders scored in four of the last five innings offensively, highlighted by a three-run eighth. Sayre was a sparkplug by going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and an RBI. Harris' impressive showing continued, as he batted 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.
Drew Baker and
Justin McConnell singled twice, while
Avery Fisher had an RBI single.
Andrew Patrick led the team in walks (3) and runs (2).
WSU stole a season-high nine bases, its most against a Division I opponent since the 2017 season. Patrick finished with a team-best three steals, while six other Raiders stole one base apiece. Wright State also had 10 free passes, including eight by way of walk.
In the second inning, the Raiders reached the scoreboard, turning three singles into one run. Sass extended WSU's lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning, as he scored on a wild pitch.
Wright State doubled its edge in the bottom of the sixth, as Greenwell had an RBI groundout and Patrick scored on a balk. The momentum continued in favor of the Raiders in the next frame, with Fisher drilling an RBI single.
WSU put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth inning with three more runs thanks to RBI singles by Sayre and Harris.
Starting pitcher Bryson Lonsbury (3-3) took the loss for Northern Kentucky despite giving up no earned runs in two frames. NKU had six relief pitchers appear on the mound, with five tagged for runs.
The Raiders will have a short turnaround as they head to Chicago for a 1 p.m. ET Sunday doubleheader at UIC.
