A Dash to First | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State baseball has effectively bounced back this week after a loss to Xavier, as the Raiders have gone 3-1 in away competition against Cincinnati-area schools.
The weekend
WSU started with a takedown of rival NKU in an away series, taking a definitive lead in the conference over the weekend.
Then, the Raider team cemented itself as one of the best teams in Ohio yet again, scoring four runs in the seventh inning to swipe a 7-6 victory over Cincinnati. The Raiders had a rough first few innings but were able to bring the game back.
“We talked about minimizing damage,” Alex Sogard, the head coach for WSU, said. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot … not a great start to the innings but did a really good job minimizing, and not letting things get out of hand.”
Taking a conference lead over NKU
The 2-1 away series against NKU could be crucial wins for WSU’s regular season, as the team now stands two games clear of the Norse and sit in first place. The Raiders took the first two games of the series 6-2 and 3-1.
The Raiders were not afraid to use as many pitchers as possible for an advantage, which led to a lot of fresh and confident pitchers taking the mound. The highlight performance of the weekend was redshirt sophomore Sebastian Gongora, who took the mound in game two.
Gongora pitched over five innings against the Norse, striking out eight batters and only giving up one run. WSU’s offense could only score three in nine innings, and Gongora’s performance secured the Raiders the win.
Gongora moves to a 4-1 record on the season and has quickly emerged as one of the best specialists in the Horizon League. The left-hander currently sits second in the Horizon League in ERA, clocking a 2.08 with seven starts for WSU.
Jake Shirk, Alex Theis and Luke Stofel also impressed on the mound, and Jay Luikart was an all-around performer. Offensively, lead-off hitter Andrew Patrick and sophomore Boston Smith were the most effective, as Patrick ran the bases and Smith performed best when it mattered.
The other Cincinnati school
After the series win over NKU, the Raiders beat Cincinnati 7-6 in the first round of the Joe Nuxhall Classic. The Raiders fought hard to come back in the game after going down early and have earned a rematch against the Xavier Musketeers next week.
Cincinnati slowly built a lead by putting one or two runs on the board in four consecutive innings and had a 5-3 lead by the top of the seventh; but, the Raiders hit back hard after the stretch, as Patrick started the inning with a double, and the Raiders brought in four runners.
“[Patrick] started with a double … Jay Luikart’s swing, the best swing he’s had in a long time, was a really big hit for us. I thought those at-bats that inning were phenomenal,” Sogard said.
From there, Josh Laisure started on the mound to soften Cincinnati’s offense, and the Raiders’ relievers were able to shut the door on the game.
“Laisure was phenomenal for us, giving us four innings, and the first three he was finding the strike zone,” Sogard said. “ I think he struck out seven guys, and it’s really good to see that out of him, because we know he can do that.”
The Raiders are back in conference play this weekend, as the team heads north to face the Milwaukee Panthers in a three-game conference series.
“I think our guys know every game’s a new opportunity, a new day, and we’re gonna have confidence in every game we play,” Sogard said.
