Raiders beat Oakland twice to earn third consecutive Horizon League baseball title

The Wright State baseball program beat Oakland twice on May 27 to win the Horizon League Championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament. (Photos by Joseph Craven)

The Wright State University baseball program clinched its third-straight Horizon League Championship with a 14-0 victory over Oakland in a winner-take-all contest on May 27, sending the Raiders back to the NCAA Tournament.

Wright State (39-21) forced the final game after a dramatic 9-8 win over Oakland earlier Saturday, May 27, with Andrew Patrick’s solo home run in the ninth inning the difference-maker in game one.

The Raiders will find out their NCAA Regional destination on Monday, May 29, at noon as part of the “NCAA Selection Show,” which will air on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Patrick finished Saturday a combined 6-for-10 with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI, scoring five runs and adding a stolen base on the way to tournament MVP honors. Tristan Haught earned the win in both games, tossing the final 2.1 innings in relief in the first game before a seven-inning start in the title game. Haught struck out eight batters over the two contests and scattered just five combined hits with no walks over the 9.1 total innings of work.

Patrick and Haught were joined on the Horizon League All-Tournament team by Julian Greenwell, Jay Luikart and Luke Stofel.

Game 1: Wright State 9, Oakland 8

Wright State stayed alive in the Horizon League Championship by defeating Oakland 9-8 in Saturday’s first contest.

The back-and-forth postseason matchup featured four ties and three lead changes. Wright State overcame three-run deficits twice in the elimination contest.

Luikart led the way offensively, as he batted 3-for-4 with a triple, two homers, and four RBI. The junior was responsible for five of Wright State’s nine total runs. Patrick finished 3-for-6 at the plate with a double, a home run, and three runs while Gehrig Anglin hit 3-for-5 with a triple, a sacrifice fly, and a run. Greenwell added a fielder’s choice RBI groundout and a bases-loaded walk.

Haught collected the winning decision after firing 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. The right-hander arrived in relief in the bottom of the seventh inning with the game tied at 8-all and collected the winning decision after firing 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He allowed only one baserunner on a single while striking out three batters in the outing.

Patrick came through with a leadoff homer over the left-field fence in the top of the ninth inning to give Wright State a 9-8 lead. Haught blanked Oakland in the bottom of the ninth to seal the Raider win.

The Raiders will find out their NCAA Regional destination on Monday, May 29, at noon as part of the “NCAA Selection Show,” which will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Game 2: Wright State 14, Oakland 0

Wright State cruised in the championship game, setting the tone early with a Patrick grand slam as part of a six-run second inning before the Raiders posted seven runs in the third inning as every player in the lineup recorded at least one hit.

The six-run second inning saw the Raiders bat around, with Boston Smith’s RBI single getting the scoring going before Patrick’s no-doubt grand slam cleared the left field wall later in the frame. Sammy Sass capped off the inning with an RBI double and the Raiders were off and rolling.

Patrick drew a bases-loaded walk to get the scoring started in the third, with the big hits coming later in the frame by way of a Anglin two-run single and another RBI double from Sass, with Anglin also scoring in the inning via a wild pitch. The third inning was capped off by a Greenwell two-run blast to right-center field to extend the margin. Patrick doubled down the left field line in the sixth to plate Smith, bringing the championship to its final score of 14-0.

Alex Theis tossed the final two innings in the title game, recording five of his six outs via the strikeout and not allowing a hit and inducing a final out popup to shortstop that set off the championship celebration.