With Wright State and Dayton saving their experienced aces for the weekend conference games, the crosstown rivals each sent a freshman to the mound with identical 5-0 records Tuesday evening.
Following Jeremy Randolph’s seven-inning masterpiece, WSU’s bullpen held on in the Raiders’ 5-4 win over the Flyers as UD left the tying run at third base.
“They put me in a big role I feel like so they expect me to execute,” Randolph said. “It is always nice to beat the guys next door. We have a lot bragging rights and a lot of things that go beyond the field. It is good to win tonight.”
The Raiders improved to 28-10 this season and have won eight in a row.
WSU held a 5-1 lead through seven innings, but UD cut the Raiders’ lead to 5-4 with no outs in the ninth. WSU’s Andrew Elliott struck out the last two hitters to pick up his sixth save of the season.
Randolph, a Miamisburg High School grad, picked up his sixth win of the season after throwing 68 of his 98 pitches for strikes. Dayton’s Mason Kutruff took his first loss of the season after the Raiders scored four runs in the fourth inning.
Wright State centerfielder Mark Fowler was a triple shy of the cycle as he went 3-for-3 with a walk.
The crosstown showdown attracted a Nischwitz Stadium season-high crowd of 452 who were on hand for Military Appreciation Night.
“It puts a little bit more pressure in the game,” WSU coach Greg Lovelady said. “Last week, we played in the Nuxhall Classic, it was a tournament style and then tonight. These are the three biggest mid-week games of the year because of the tournament and then Dayton, it is always a big atmosphere.”
Randolph responded to the pressure well as he only allowed one unearned run, which came in the fourth inning after Dayton’s Glenn Jones reached on an error and scored on an Aaron Huesman double. Randolph struck out seven and did not surrender a walk.
Randolph, WSU’s No. 4 starter behind the three weekend starters, could be needed if the Raiders reach the Horizon League title game next month.
“For him in these mid-week games, you worry if you want to move him into the rotation and if he has to throw in it, has he had battle tested starts?” Lovelady said. “Sometimes I feel like in mid-week games, you go through the motions and he has pitched great all year, but has he had pressure put on him? I think the last two starts have put him in that situation.”
After UD took the 1-0 lead in the fourth, WSU responded in the bottom of the fourth with four runs as the Raiders sent 10 players to the plate. WSU had four RBI base hits in the inning.
The Raiders added a critical insurance run as Fowler, a redshirt senior, blasted a home run to left field to give WSU a 5-1 lead through six innings. The run was important in WSU’s one-run victory.
“This is just one game under our belt,” Fowler said. “We learned a lot from this game, but it is about finishing when it comes down to it. It is about the conference tournament and that last game has been eluding me.”
WSU holds a one-game lead in the Horizon League standings over second place Illinois-Chicago.
The Raiders host Miami tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The Raiders return to conference action Friday for a three-game set versus the defending Horizon League champs Youngstown State.
