Down 8-1 to Cincinnati, Wright State rallied with six unanswered runs but fell short to the Bearcats 8-7 Tuesday in Oxford, Ohio.
The Raiders will face Miami Wednesday in the consolation game of the Joe Nuxhall Classic.
Cincinnati scored six runs in two innings where the Bearcats did not get a hit.
Wright State starting pitcher E.J. Trapino only went two innings and allowed two earned runs. The Bearcats jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second without earning a base hit.
In the fourth, Cincinnati’s Devin Wenzel had a leadoff triple off WSU reliever Jack Van Horn. Wenzel later scored to give UC a 3-0 lead.
Wright State responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth as Michael Timm scored off a Joe Ford double.
Cincinnati took a 4-1 lead in the seventh as RJ Thompson scored off a hit by pitch.
The Bearcats fired four on the scoreboard in a wild top of the eighth inning. WSU reliever David Deliz hit the first three batters he faced. He then walked a batter before hitting another pair of Bearcats. Deliz walked another batter causing the fourth Cincinnati run to come across in the eighth without a base hit.
Deliz left the game before getting anyone out.
Luke Mamer came in for the Raiders to get the Wright State out of the eight inning, bases loaded jam.
The Raiders’ bats responded in the bottom of the eighth to score three runs.
Mamer had a perfect ninth inning give WSU an opportunity in the bottom of the ninth.
After three runs crossed the plate, Jeff Limbaugh stood at first with one out representing the tying run. With the winning run at the plate, Jack Murphy flew out and Mamer grounded out ending the game.
Trapino took his first loss of the season. Cincinnati’s Andrew Zellner picked up his second win of the year off of a six-inning, one-run allowed performance.
