YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Wright State baseball program swept a doubleheader against Youngstown State on Sunday at Eastwood Field. The Raiders earned a 3-1 win in the opener before taking game two, 9-6.
WSU improved to 23-21 on the season and 16-6 in Horizon League action, while the Penguins fell to 15-31 overall and 8-13 against conference opponents.
Game 1 (7 innings) - Wright State 3, Youngstown State 1
Wright State got back in the win column with a 3-1 win in game one. The conference matchup was a pitchers' duel, as the two teams combined for a mere six hits.
YSU reached the scoreboard first thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Braeden O'Shaughnessy in the bottom of the third inning.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the fifth inning, WSU's
Zane Harris and
Justin Riemer were plunked, while
Andrew Patrick reached base on a fielding error.
Julian Greenwell followed with a bases-clearing triple to put the Raiders in front 3-1.
WSU held on to the two-run lead for the remainder of the seven-inning contest to seal the opener.
Starting pitcher
Alex Theis (5-0) earned the winning decision, as he allowed just one run on three hits and four walks in 5.2 innings.
Logan Tabeling stranded two runners on base by collecting the final out of the sixth inning, while
Jay Luikart struck out the side in the seventh for his sixth save of the season.
YSU pitcher Matt Brosky (4-7) limited the Raider offense to three hits and no walks in seven innings of work. However, he took the loss after being tagged for three unearned runs in the fifth inning.
Game 2 - Wright State 9, Youngstown State 6
In game two, a fourth-run first inning and a five-run seventh inning carried the Raiders to a 9-6 victory.
The Raiders had success offensively with nine runs on 10 hits, eight walks, and three stolen bases.
Justin Riemer led the way by going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and two walks. Luikart batted 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored, while
Gehrig Anglin went 2-for-5 with a run and two steals.
Alec Sayre reached base three times on a single and two walks.
Josh Laisure was efficient in his second collegiate start, as he held the Penguins scoreless on no hits and four walks in 3.1 innings of work.
Tristan Haught (3-1) received the win after giving up three runs on six hits while striking out four batters in the next 3.2 innings.
Garret Simpson was tagged for three runs on three hits, while
Donnie Nicodemus struck out two batters in a scoreless inning of work.
Wright State jumped out to an early advantage with four runs on three hits, two errors, and a walk in the opening frame. Harris highlighted the hot start with a two-run single.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Steven D'Eusanio cut YSU's deficit to 4-2 with a two-run homer.
WSU responded with five runs in the top of the seventh, pushing its edge to 9-2.
Sammy Sass, Riemer,
Justin McConnell, Sayre, and Luikart drove in runs in the scoring burst. Notably, Luikart went 2-for-2 in the inning with a single, a double, and an RBI.
YSU chipped away with a run apiece in the seventh and eighth frames. The Penguins continued to surge in the bottom of the ninth, as they scored twice and brought the game-tying run to the plate. With runners on the corners and two outs, Nicodemus struck out Dylan Swarmer to halt the comeback.
The Raiders will return to action on Wednesday, May 11, against Michigan.
