YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Wright State baseball program defeated Youngstown State 8-1 for its tenth consecutive win on Thursday afternoon at Eastwood Field.
The Raiders improved to 35-18 overall and 22-6 in the Horizon League, while YSU dropped to 17-35 on the season and 11-16 against conference opponents. The teams will continue the three-game series tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Wright State's offense outhit the Penguins 12-4 and scored runs in five of its last six innings of action.
Sammy Sass paced the Raiders at the plate, as he batted 3-for-5 with a double, two runs batted in, and a stolen base.
Jay Luikart hit 2-for-4 with two RBI, three runs, a walk, and a stolen base, while
Gehrig Anglin belted a pair of RBI doubles.
Boston Smith contributed with a single, a double, an RBI, and a walk.
Drew Baker delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in his lone at-bat of the game.
Starting pitcher
Sebastian Gongora improved to 9-1 on the year after holding YSU scoreless on no hits and three walks while striking out four batters in 3.2 innings.
Tristan Haught blanked the Penguins on just two hits and no walks in 2.1 innings of relief.
Joey Valentine fired two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning of work.
The Raiders were errorless for the 20th time this season, inducing ten fly outs and five groundouts in the defensive effort.
WSU's pitching staff held Youngstown State hitless in the first five innings of play, allowing its only run off consecutive extra-base hits in the bottom of the sixth.
The Raiders reached the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, as Luikart led off the frame with a double and came around to score on an RBI single off the bat of Sass. Smith pushed WSU's lead to 2-0 on an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning.
Wright State plated three runs on two runs, a hit by pitch, and an error in the top of the seventh to extend its edge to 5-1. Luikart recorded a two-run single while Anglin doubled a run across the plate.
The Raiders carried their momentum into the eighth inning, as Smith hit a leadoff double and touched home on an RBI single by Baker. Anglin and Sass delivered RBI hits in the top of the ninth for WSU's last two runs of the game.
