ROCHESTER, MI – The Wright State baseball team fell to Oakland 15-12 on Saturday afternoon. The Raiders are now 26-19 overall and 15-8 in the Horizon League. The series will conclude Sunday, May 5 at 2:00 p.m. with live stats provided.
Game 3 - Sunday, May 5 - 2:00 p.m. - Live Stats
The Raiders finished with 12 runs on 11 hits with eight walks against their nine strikeouts.
Luke Arnold,
Patrick Fultz,
Boston Smith, and
Ben Vore all recorded two hits, while
Drew Baker,
Jay Luikart, and
Andrew Patrick each had one hit. Wright State had seven extra-base hits, with a double each by Arnold, Fultz, and Luikart, one home run each by Patrick and Baker, and two homers by Vore.
The Raiders were the first to add runs to the board, as Patrick recorded a two RBI homer to left field after Smith reached on a single up the middle. Oakland took a 5-2 lead after adding five runs in the bottom of the second. Wright State took the lead in the fourth, starting with a solo homer to left field by Vore. Smith reached on a single, advancing to second on a Patrick walk, and was sent home on a Fultz double to center field. An Arnold double allowed Fultz and Patrick to score, taking a one-run advantage.
Oakland regained their lead in the bottom of the sixth with a two-RBI single. The Raiders were quick to react, adding a Baker solo homer to tie the game at seven. After Sass reached on an error and stole second, he was sent home by a Luikart double to take the lead. Vore had a two-RBI homer to right center to give Wright State a three-run advantage. The Golden Grizzlies regained their lead in the bottom of the seventh, adding five runs with three home runs and an RBI-single. Arnold scored on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth, making it a one-run game, 12-11. The Golden Grizzlies raised their advantage to four with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. The final run of the day was scored by Smith reaching home on a wild pitch.
Wes Earles (1-3) was charged with the loss after allowing the lead taking run on two hits. Starting pitcher
Garret Simpson put in five innings of work, allowing five runs on four hits with four walks and three batters struck out.
Aaron Evers (1-1) earned the win after pitching two thirds of an inning, allowing only one run on one hit with two batters struck out. The Golden Grizzlies finished with fifteen runs on sixteen hits with eight walks against their five strikeouts. They were led by Brandon Heidal's four hits, including one double and one triple.
