FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Wright State baseball program concluded its season-opening road trip with a 6-2 loss at No. 8 ranked Arkansas 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Justin Riemer headlined Wright State (2-8) offensively, as he batted 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Julian Greenwell added two singles, while
Jay Luikart and
Gehrig Anglin drove in a run apiece on sacrifice flies.
The Raiders stranded eight runners on base, going 3-for-17 (.176) with runners on base and 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Starting pitcher
Luke Stofel (0-1) shined on the mound in his debut start as a Raider, limiting Arkansas to two runs, one earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out six batters in six innings of work.
Warren Hartzell and
Alex Theis pitched in relief in the seventh inning, allowing two runs apiece.
Chris Gallagher tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless action in relief.
The Raiders raced out to a 1-0 lead in the opening inning, as Riemer led off the game with a walk and scored later in the frame on a sac fly by Anglin. WSU carried its 1-0 advantage into the fifth inning, as Stofel held the Razorbacks (9-2) scoreless on just three hits and one walk in his first four innings of work.
Wright State threatened with a pair of singles in the top of the fifth but closed the frame with consecutive outs to keep its lead at 1-0. Arkansas' leadoff batter in the bottom of the fifth reached second on a fielding error and came around to score on an RBI single, tying the game at 1-all.
The Hogs captured their first lead of the non-conference matchup in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Jace Bohrofen hit a solo home run with two outs. The Raider deficit grew to 6-1 in the bottom of the seventh, as Arkansas scored four runs on four hits and a walk, punctuated by a two-run single with two outs.
Luikart scored Riemer on a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning to reduce WSU's deficit to 6-2. Wright State had a bases-loaded opportunity with just one out later in the frame but grounded into a double play to halt the potential rally.
Wright State was held scoreless on one hit in the top of the ninth, sealing a 6-2 loss.
The Raiders will turn their focus to next Tuesday's (March 7) home opener versus Miami (OH).
