DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team opened Horizon League play with a series sweep against Oakland, capping the series with a 17-10 win on Sunday afternoon. The Raiders will stay at home, welcoming Toledo for a midweek game on Tuesday at 3 p.m. WSU continues HL play with a road series at Milwaukee beginning Friday, March 21, and running through Sunday, March 23.
Wright State (8-9, 3-0 HL) finished with 17 runs on 16 hits, with 12 walks and seven strikeouts.
JP Peltier led the team with four hits, while
Conlan Daniel followed with three; both drove in four runs.
Luke Arnold,
Carson Clark,
Gus Gregory, and
Hunter Warren each added two hits, and
Boston Smith one. The Raiders had four extra-base hits—Gregory recorded the first with a double, while Daniel added a double and two home runs.
Patrick Fultz led the Raiders with four walks, followed by Warren (3), Clark and Daniel (2 each), and Smith (1). Smith collected two hit-by-pitches, and
Cam Gilkerson one. The Raiders had six stolen bases, one each by Arnold, Daniel, Gregory, Peltier, Smith, and Warren.
Wright State opened the day with nine runs in the first. After walks to Warren, Smith, and Fultz, Peltier opened the scoring with a two-run single to right-center. After a rain delay, Gilkerson reached on a hit-by-pitch, advancing Peltier to second before Daniel's double drove in two runs and advanced Gilkerson to third, making it 4-0. Arnold continued the scoring with a single up the middle, sending Daniel and Gilkerson to score, 6-0. Arnold stole second before scoring as Gregory doubled up the middle, advancing and scoring on a fielding error, 8-0. Warren singled, advancing to second as Smith was hit by a pitch. Both advanced on a wild pitch before Fultz was walked. All three advanced on a wild pitch, allowing Warren to score, 9-0.
Oakland responded in the second, scoring two runs on an error, 9-2. The Raiders went scoreless in the second and third before adding four runs in the fourth. Daniel and Clark led off the fourth with walks and advanced on an Arnold groundout. Gregory singled, reaching second on a throwing error, sending Clark and Daniel to score, 11-2. Gregory stole third before Warren was walked and stole second. Gregory scored and Warren moved to third on a Smith groundout. Fultz was walked before Peltier put up an RBI single to send Warren to score, 13-2.
Oakland responded in the fifth with a two-run homer, cutting the lead to 14-3. WSU regained their double-digit lead as Daniel hit a homer 433 feet over the left field wall, 14-4. Oakland responded with four runs in the sixth, scoring on a single, sacrifice fly, fielding error, and a double, 14-8. The Golden Grizzlies added another run in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch, 14-9.
Daniel opened the bottom of the seventh going yard again, taking the first pitch 439 feet over the wall, 15-9. Wright State loaded the bases in the eighth as Warren singled up the middle, followed by a Smith hit-by-pitch and Fultz walk. Peltier singled to drive in Warren, followed by Gilkerson grounding into a double play that allowed Smith to score, 17-9. Oakland tacked on a final run in the ninth with a sacrifice fly, but the deficit proved too large, sealing Wright State's 17-10 victory.
Raiders' starter
Jarrett Heilman (1-3) earned the win, allowing two unearned runs on five hits. Heilman went four innings, striking out four and walking one. Warren Hartzel closed for the Raiders, striking out three while allowing one run on two hits over 2.1 innings.
Oakland (3-18, 0-3 HL) finished with 10 runs on 10 hits with seven walks and nine strikeouts. Carter Hain led the team with two hits, driving in three runs on a double and a homer. Golden Grizzlies starter Brody Fahnestock (0-3) was charged with the loss after allowing nine runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in 0.2 innings.
