WSU Baseball | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University Raiders welcomed the Miami Redhawks in its first home game of the 2023 season. The action-packed game ended with the RaiderGang winning its ninth straight home opening game 23-7.
Gametime, gang!
On the cold Tuesday, the Raiders started the game off hot, capitalizing off an error and center fielder Andrew Patrick's RBI triple, a personal first of two. After a scoreless second and third innings, the Redhawks responded in the top of the fourth inning with four RBIs to gain the lead 4-2.
Now trailing, the Raiders looked to regain the lead. In the bottom of the fourth, WSU took control with 11 runs off seven bases-loaded walks and two doubles from first baseman Parker Harrison for three runs, as the Raiders took the lead 13-4.
Infielder Justin Riemer, who had earlier gotten on base for the twentieth straight game, commented on the Redhawks’ walks.
“I was just glad to get on base,” Riemer said.
Head coach Alex Sogard reacted to the RaiderGang’s play through the chaotic fourth inning.
“I thought our offense responded very well there,” Sogard said. “Kind of broke open the gates.”
Not willing to back down, Miami recovered with two back-to-back home runs.
The Raiders took away Miami's momentum with two runs in the fifth and five in the seventh. The back and forth game was now firmly in the hands of the Raiders.
In the bottom of the eighth, infielder Ben Stoner hit a two-out grand slam at a personal first collegiate at-bat.
“I just wanted to put a good spin on it,” Stoner commented on the pinch-hit grand slam.
What went right
The Raiders' patient aggression proved successful at the plate with pressure application when on base. By taking leading steps off the base ready to steal, the Raiders successfully stole seven bases in total with three Raiders stealing two.
The Redhawks struggled on the pitching side, giving up a total of 19 walks and playing seven total pitchers. The Raiders held the Redhawks to only seven hits and struck out 14 batters.
In the end, it was truly a welcome home for the Raiders. Six players had at least two walks and four had multiple hits. With only twelve hits, the Raider team used its game plan effectively and capitalized on Miami’s errors to win 23-7.
The RaiderGang will continue its stay at home with a three-game series versus Army from March 10 through 12 at Nischwitz Stadium.
