Box Score CINCINNATI, OH – In a 43-run game, the Wright State baseball team fell short to Miami (OH) 22-21 on Tuesday afternoon. Wright State will play again in a three-game series against Northern Kentucky, starting Friday, April 12.
The Raiders finished with 21 runs on 23 hits with seven walks against their nine strikeouts. They were led by
Sammy Sass and
Ben Vore, each recording four hits, with
Patrick Fultz closely following, adding three hits.
Jay Luikart,
Nate Manley,
Andrew Patrick, and
Boston Smith each recorded two hits, with
Drew Baker,
Carson Clark,
Julian Greenwell, and
Gus Gregory each adding one hit. Sass, the previous week's Horizon League Batter of the Week, recorded four home runs, tallying six RBI on the day. Vore added two homers, followed by Luikart, Manley, and Smith each recording one. Both Vore and Smith recorded one triple on the day. There were four Wright State doubles, one each coming from Clark, Fultz, Gregory, and Luikart.
Wright State got off to an early lead, putting up eight runs in the first two innings. The eight runs came from two Sass homers, each for two RBI, a solo home run by Luikart, RBI-singles by Fultz and Patrick, and Smith scoring on a wild pitch. Miami followed adding six runs in the third and fourth. The Raiders hit double-figure runs, adding their ninth run in the fourth with Sass's third homer, followed by a Manley two-RBI homer in the fifth. A Vore single through the left side allowed Gregory to score, taking a six-run lead, 12-6.
The RedHawks made it a one run game, adding five runs in the sixth. The Raiders raised their advantage 14-11 with an RBI ground out by Clark and a Baker RBI-single. Miami added 11 runs between the seventh and eighth. Vore added the only Raider run of the seventh, that coming as a solo home run to left field. Wright State took the game to one run, recording the final runs of the day in the eighth. The final six runs came from solo home runs by Sass and Smith, a two-RBI homer by Smith, a Clark RBI-double, and a Greenwell RBI-single, ending the day in favor of Miami, 22-21.
Duke Benge (2-2) was charged with the loss after pitching one and a third innings, allowing the lead taking runs. Benge allowed five runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Raider starting pitcher
Griffen Paige put in one inning of work, allowing no runs with one hit and two walks, striking out one batter.
Closing pitcher Peyton Olejnik (5-1) earned the win after entering to pitch in the eighth, allowing two runs on two this with no walks and two strikeouts. The RedHawks finished with 22 runs on 21 hits with 14 walks against their nine strikeouts. David Novak led Miami with five hits, two being doubles, for four RBI.
