Double Header | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University men’s baseball team hosted the Mastodons from Purdue University Fort Wayne over the weekend, taking two out of three games.
Series opener
The opening matchup between the two teams featured a plethora of runs scored. After the first two-innings, WSU held a 4-0 lead following a three-run home run by junior Sammy Sass and a solo home run from sophomore Boston Smith.
After PFW cut the lead in half in the third-inning, junior Gehrig Anglin launched a two-run home run followed by a two-RBI double by Smith.
The Raiders offense would stall as the Mastodons regained the lead, forcing WSU to scramble late for a comeback.
After scoring a run in both the seventh and eighth innings, WSU still would come up short, losing the opening game 12-10.
Revenge game
Following the stunning loss in the opening game, WSU would have less than an hour to turn around and play PFW again.
WSU would attack early, getting an RBI from Junior Jay Luikart, Sass and freshman Parker Harrison in the first-inning.
The Mastodons would claim two runs in the fourth-inning, however the team was unable to add to its tally.
Sophomore Sebastian Gongora would pitch five-innings, giving up only two earned-runs and striking out five batters.
WSU would add insurance runs, with one coming in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings.
The Raiders would hang on to claim the second game by a final score of 6-2.
Series deciding finale
On Sunday afternoon, the two teams squared off one last time to decide the series.
The Raiders would claim a 3-0 lead after two-innings of play.
Anglin would launch a solo home run to go up 4-1 in the third-inning. Anglin would finish the game with four-RBI’s, leading all hitters.
Freshman Patrick Fultz made his debut with the team, going 2-4 at the plate, with one-RBI and multiple defensive plays.
“It was great we were able to get the win,” Fultz said. “I just thank the coaches for believing in me.”
Sophomore Andrew Patrick went 3-5 on offense, scoring three-runs and adding a stolen base. Patrick has had a remarkable start to the season, batting .390 to this point and being a very reliable lead-off hitter.
“As a lead-off hitter, I am trying to see as many pitches to help my teammates behind me,” Patrick said. “I think I’m seeing the ball well right now.”
Patrick is a perfect 7-7 on stolen base attempts this season, allowing the Raiders to apply early pressure on its opponents.
WSU would open the flood gates after the fourth-inning, not allowing more than four-runs from PFW, and going on to score 13 runs of its own to claim the opening series.
After claiming the first conference series of the season, the team is confident where it stands, but knows there is room to continue improving.
“I think we are where we want to be,” coach Alex Sogard added. “We are trying to win every series we play this year; I think when we do that we put ourselves in a good position.”
Looking ahead
WSU will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus Tuesday and Miami University on Wednesday in Oxford before returning home this Friday for a three-game series against the Grizzlies from Oakland University.
