DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team opened Horizon League play with doubleheader walk-off wins over Oakland on Friday afternoon. The Raiders will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Raiders (7-9, 2-0 HL) totaled 16 runs on 17 hits, including four doubles and three home runs, while Oakland (3-17, 0-2 HL) finished with five runs on 10 hits, four of which were doubles.
GAME 1 | Wright State 3, Oakland 2
Wright State opened HL play with a 3-2 win over Oakland, thanks to a walk-off homer by
JP Peltier.
The Raiders finished Game 1 with three runs on five hits, drawing three walks while striking out seven times. Peltier led the team with two hits, both out of the park, for three RBI.
Will Cook,
Conlan Daniel, and
Hunter Warren added a hit each for the Raiders.
The game went scoreless for the first five innings, as
Cam Gilkerson was the first Raider on base, reaching on a walk in the second. Similarly, Cook reached on a walk in the bottom of the third, and Fultz in the fourth. Cook got on base again in the fifth, singling through the left side.
Scoring began as Warren reached on a single, advancing on ground outs by Smith and Fultz. Peltier swung at the first pitch and launched a 376-foot homer over the left field wall, giving WSU a 2-0 lead in the sixth. Oakland responded with a run on a single to right field in the top of the seventh, cutting the deficit to 2-1. After a hitless eighth, the Golden Grizzlies tied the game at two with an RBI double in the ninth.
Leading off the final inning, Peltier crushed his second home run of the day, securing the 3-2 walk-off victory.
Wright State starter
Mychal Grogan put in five innings on the mound, allowing no runs or hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Max Whitesell entered to pitch the sixth and seventh, allowing one run on three hits, walking none and striking out three.
Garrett Peters (1-0) earned the win, pitching the final two innings while allowing one run on two hits with no walks and one strikeout.
Oakland finished the first game with two runs on five hits with two walks against their 11 strikeouts. Taylor Tomlin led the team with two hits, including one double, driving in one run. Ryan Donley (0-2) was charged with the loss after allowing the winning run. Donley surrendered two hits, walked none, and struck out three.
GAME 2 | Wright State 13, Oakland 3
The Raiders carried their momentum into Game 2, erupting for 13 runs on 12 hits. WSU collected 10 walks while striking out seven times. Five Raiders–
Luke Arnold,
Patrick Fultz,
Cam Gilkerson,
JP Peltier, and
Hunter Warren– added two hits for the Raiders, while
Will Cook and
Nate Manley had one hit apiece.
Wright State took no time in game two, adding four runs on the first inning. The first run came as
Boston Smith was walked, advancing to second on a Peltier single, and scoring on a Fultz double to right center, 1-0. With two on base, Manley made it 4-0 with a homer to left field. After a one-two-three top of the second, Arnold singled, advanced to second on a throwing error, and reached third on a failed pickoff attempt. Warren doubled down the left field line, sending Arnold to score, 5-0.
The Raiders extended their lead to 8-0 in the fifth. Fultz led off with a single, moved to second on a Manley walk, and scored on a Gilkerson double. With two in scoring position, Cook singled to right center, sending both runners to score, 8-0. Wright State made it nine-to-nothing in the sixth, as Smith was walked, stealing second before Fultz was walked, and advancing to third on a Manley hit-by-pitch. With the bases loaded, Gilkerson lifted a sacrifice fly to right, bringing Smith home.
Oakland broke the shutout in the seventh, scoring three runs on a double, a single, and a fielding error.
Wright State reached double-digit runs in the eighth with an RBI-walk. Peltier opened the inning with a double down the left field line before the bases were loaded after Fultz and Manley were walked, allowing Daniel to be walked for WSU's tenth run. Arnold followed with a two-RBI single to right center before the game ended via the 10-run rule when Daniel scored on a wild pitch, making it 13-3.
In similar fashion to the first game of the day, WSU starter
Cam Allen put in five innings of work. Allen (2-2) earned the win, allowing no runs and just one hit, walking one while striking out three.
Chet Lax entered in the sixth, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Warren Hartzell closed for the Raiders, allowing no runs, hits, or walks, striking out all three batters in the eighth inning.
Oakland finished with three runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts, led by Jack Lux with two hits. Starting pitcher Grant Garman (1-1) was charged with the loss after allowing five runs on six hits with four walks. Garman struck out three batters in four innings on the mound.
