When the scoreboard flashed 32 at the end of the night, head coach Rob Cooper couldn’t believe what he saw.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something where we scored 32 runs,” said Cooper. “It was just one of those things where we had really good at bats and the score ended up being the way it was.”
That performance led to a 32-4 win over Youngstown State on Thursday. Wright State set a school record for runs in the process, topping their previous record of 26.
Cooper, however, tried to keep perspective of the accomplishment.
“I didn’t even know it was a record,” said Cooper. “It was a great day, and I’m not trying to downplay it, but it’s one of those things where at the end of the day, it counts the same as a 1-0 win.”
But this win showcased what the Raiders are capable of.
After scoring ten runs in the first inning, WSU jumped out to a 24-1 lead after the third. They led 32-1 before the Penguins added three late runs.
First baseman Jake Hibberd went 4-4 with six RBIs and two home-runs. Right fielder Tristan Moore, also added six RBIs and two home-runs. Centerfielder Ryan Ashe went 4-7 with two doubles and a team-high nine RBIs. Two other Raiders had three-hit games: shortstop Justin Kopale (3-3, HR, 5 RBI) and left fielder Kyle Mossbarger (3-6, 3 RBI)
Not to be outdone, starter Lee Valencheck threw an impressive game and allowed only one-earned run in five innings.
The Raider hitting stole the headlines again Friday.
WSU won the second game of the series 18-2. They took a 10-0 lead after four innings and didn’t look back. YSU scored their first run in the fifth, but the Raiders responded with six more runs in the next two innings to push the score to 16-1.
When reliever Travis Hissong recorded the final out three innings later, the 16 run margin of victory highlighted another night of strong performances.
Catcher Corey Davis hit 4-4 with 2 RBI, while Moore knocked in five runs on two hits. But three other Raiders also had multi-hit games: Ashe, third baseman Zach Tanner and designated hitter Garrett Gray.
“They (Davis and Moore) both had unbelievable games,” Cooper said “But it was a day when all of our hitters swung the bat well and had good approaches.”
Though the hitting slowed down on Saturday, it wasn’t enough to keep the Raiders from earning the sweep in an 8-2 win.
YSU took their first and only lead of the series at 1-0 in the second inning. Gray put the Raiders ahead in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run homer.
Locked in a tight 2-1 battle in the fifth, Kopale sparked the WSU offense with a home-run. The Raiders added five more runs over the course of the last four innings and walked away with their tenth straight win.
Hibberd pushed his hitting streak to 25 games, while Gray, Ashe, Kopale and Mossbarger all added two hits. Gray plated three runs and caught for starter Taylor Braun.
For the third straight outing, Braun impressed. He gave up only one run in six innings of work to earn his third win of the year.
He’s a guy we thought could be an important member of this team,” said Cooper. “He’s really pitched well the last couple weeks, and the great thing about him is I didn’t think he pitched as well on Saturday as he has recently. For him to find a way to win when he wasn’t pitching as well as he normally does, that’s a tribute to him and that’s what the great ones have to do.”
At 19-10 with a 10-2 mark in conference play, WSU sits first in the standings. They’ve come a long way since their 1-6 start and finally resemble contenders. But a third straight Horizon League regular-season crown won’t be easy.
Cooper, though, won’t let his team look ahead.
“What have we done?” asked Cooper. “Well, we haven’t done anything. We haven’t won conference, we haven’t won a championship and we haven’t been to regional. This is still a work in progress and we need to keep working and getting better because as of right now, we haven’t done anything.”
