DAYTON — The top-seeded Wright State baseball program fell to No. 2 seed Oakland 6-5 in extras but rebounded with a 2-1 victory over No. 5 seed Milwaukee in an elimination game to advance to the Horizon League Baseball Championship finals on Saturday at Nischwitz Stadium. 

The Raiders (37-21) must beat Oakland twice tomorrow to seal their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The first pitch for the opening game is scheduled for noon, while a potential second game will begin at 4 p.m.

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Game 1 (10 inn.) - Wright State 5, Oakland 6
Wright State dropped its semifinal matchup to Oakland 6-5 in 10 innings. 

WSU finished with nine hits and seven free passes but stranded 11 runners on base. Sammy Sass batted 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI to pace Wright State's offense. Andrew Patrick had two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored, while Jay Luikart notched an RBI single and two runs. Gehrig Anglin recorded an RBI triple for his lone hit of the game. 

Starting pitcher Jake Shirk was tagged for four runs on eight hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. Tristan Haught held down the fort in relief, as he limited OU to just one run while striking out four batters in 3.2 innings of work. Jay Luikart (2-1) gave up an unearned run on two hits and no walks in the last 2.2 innings of the frame. 

OU took the lead with three runs on four hits in the top of the first inning, punctuated by a two-run triple off the bat of Ian Cleary. The Raiders responded with three runs on three consecutive RBI knocks by Luikart, Anglin, and Sass to tie the game at 3-all. 

Oakland plated a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, but Julian Greenwell tied the postseason contest at 5-all with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fifth. 

The Golden Grizzlies brought a run home on an RBI groundout in the top of the eighth. However, Boston Smith led off the bottom of the frame on a single and came around to score on a game-tying RBI double by Patrick. 

The Raiders committed two fielding errors in the top of the 10th inning, which led to Oakland's game-winning run. Wright State was held scoreless on a walk and no hits in the bottom of the 10th. 

Game 2 - Wright State 2, Oakland 1
Luke Stofel lifted Wright State to a 2-1 win against Milwaukee with his first collegiate complete game. 

He held the Panthers (25-32) to just one run, unearned, on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over the nine-inning stretch. The right-hander blanked Milwaukee in eight consecutive frames before allowing his lone run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth. Stofel induced a game-ending groundout with a runner on third base to seal the Raider victory. 

Julian Greenwell and Patrick Fultz recorded base hits, while Andrew Patrick walked three times, stole two bases, and scored a run. Sammy Sass added two walks, a stolen base, and a run scored.

The Raiders reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, as Sass led off the frame with a walk, reached third on a single by Greenwell, and scored on a fielder's choice groundout by Luke Arnold. Patrick scored from second base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third for WSU's last run of the game.