ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Wright State baseball program dropped a pair of games to Oakland on Saturday. The Raiders endured a 5-4 loss in the opener, followed by a 6-4 defeat in game two.
WSU fell to 21-21 on the season and 14-6 in Horizon League play, while Oakland improved to 24-21 overall and 13-8 against conference opponents.
Game 1 (7 innings) - Wright State 4, Oakland 5
Wright State jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Oakland rallied back with five runs over the last three innings to take the opener, 5-4.
Andrew Patrick paced the offense by going 1-for-3 at the plate with a home run and two runs batted in.
Zane Harris blasted a solo homer in his first at-bat, while
Alec Sayre finished with a team-leading two hits.
Starting pitcher
Jake Shirk gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He opened the game with four shutout frames but was tagged for three runs in the fifth.
Tristan Haught walked two batters in two-thirds of an inning, while
Donnie Nicodemus (0-2) took the loss after allowing the game-winning run in the seventh.
The Raiders committed two fielding errors defensively, leading to two unearned runs.
Wright State struck first with three runs in the second inning. Harris got the scoring started with a solo home run before Patrick drilled a two-run homer to push WSU's lead to 3-0.
Sayre singled in the top of the fifth and came around to score on a bases-loaded walk, extending Wright State's edge to 4-0. Oakland answered back in the bottom of the frame with three runs on two hits, a walk, and an error.
The Golden Grizzlies tied the contest 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth off a fielding error and sealed the comeback win on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.
Game 2 - Wright State 4, Oakland 6
While Wright State held a 4-2 edge after seven innings of play, the Golden Grizzlies used a four-run eighth inning to clinch a 6-4 victory.
Gehrig Anglin led the Raiders offensively, as he batted 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Patrick went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, and an RBI, while
Jay Luikart and
Julian Greenwell both went 1-for-4 at the plate with a walk and a run scored.
Wright State tallied seven hits and seven walks but stranded nine runners on base.
Starting pitcher
Sebastian Gongora was productive on the mound, as he limited Oakland to three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters in seven innings. The redshirt freshman was tagged for two runs in the first inning but rebounded with six consecutive scoreless frames before giving up a third run in the bottom of the eighth.
Chris Gallagher (0-2) was dealt with the loss after giving up two runs in Oakland's eighth-inning comeback. Luikart, who arrived in relief for Gallagher, allowed one run on two hits in an inning of work.
The Raiders got off to a hot start thanks to a three-run homer off the bat of Anglin in the opening inning. OU responded in the bottom of the frame with two runs on three hits.
Patrick extended the WSU lead to 4-2 with a solo roundtrip in the top of the second. The game then transitioned into a pitchers' duel, as both sides were scoreless for the subsequent five frames.
Oakland erased its two-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth with four runs on four hits and a walk. Three WSU pitchers were tagged for runs in the span.
The Raiders were retired in order in the next inning to conclude the ballgame.
WSU will return to action on Sunday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Youngstown State.
