Wright State Baseball falls to 0-2 with loss to Kent State

The Wright State baseball team fell to 0-2 on the season with a loss to Kent State on Saturday. The Raiders gave up four runs in the first inning and were never able to recover. Wright State will look to get back on track when they take on Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Introduction

The Wright State baseball team dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 5-2 loss to Kent State on Sunday at Nischwitz Stadium.

The Golden Flashes picked up two runs in the first inning and added single runs in the second, third and fourth to take a 5-0 lead. The Raiders got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Spencer Cieslewicz tripled and scored on a groundout by Brady Puckett, but that was all the offense Wright State could muster as Kent State pitchers silenced the Raider bats the rest of the way.

Game Recap

Wright StateBaseball fell to 0-2 on the young season as they were defeated 9-3 by Kent State on Saturday afternoon at Nischwitz Stadium.

The Golden Flashes jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning off of WSU starter Hayden Jones The Raiders got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when graduate student Matt Morrow singled home sophomore Gabe Snyder from second base, but Kent State tacked on two more runs in the top of the second to extend their lead to 4-1.

Wright State scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Morrow once again drove in Snyder, this time with a double, but Kent State answered with three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-2 advantage. The Raiders rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth when senior Andrew McCafferty singled home freshman Jack Hicks, but it was not enough as they fell by a final score of 9-3.

Morrow led Wright State at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while junior Jason DeBarry and sophomore Luke Burch each had two hits. Jones (0-1) took the loss on the mound for WSU, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in five innings pitched

Pitching Recap

Rookie pitcher Zach Willeman got the start for the Raiders and went four innings, giving up four hits, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out four.

In his first collegiate appearance, Willeman kept the Golden Flashes off balance for most of his outing. He induced eight ground ball outs, including a double play to end the second inning.

Willeman ran into trouble in the third inning when he gave up a leadoff single to Kent State second baseman Dylan Rosa. Rosa advanced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single by right fielder Toby Welk.

Hitting Recap

The Wright State baseball team fell to 0-2 on the season with a loss to Kent State on Sunday.

The Raiders were held to just three hits in the game, with all of them coming from the top of the lineup. Senior second baseman Nate Mondou had two of the hits, while junior shortstop Orrin Sears had the other.

Wright State will look to Bounce Back when they take on Butler on Tuesday.

Fielding Recap

Player errors haunted the Wright State Raiders in their home opener against the Kent State Golden Flashes, as they fell 11-2.

The Wright State fielding errors allowed Kent State to take an early lead that they would never relinquish.

Despite the final score, there were some bright spots for the Raiders. Starting pitcher Alex Thayer went 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 4. And Left fielder Brad Haynal made a diving catch in the top of the ninth inning to save at least two runs.

The Raiders will look to get their first win of the season tomorrow afternoon as they take on Kent State again. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Nischwitz Stadium.

Game Notes

The Wright State baseball team fell to 0-2 on the young season with an 8-2 loss to Kent State Tuesday at Nischwitz Stadium.

The Golden Flashes got on the board in the top of the first inning when leadoff hitter Michael Turner tripled and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Brady Gerlich.

Wright State got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Gabe Snyder led off with a double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Andrew McCafferty.

Kent State regained the lead in the second when Jordan Grubb singled, took second on a balk, went to third on an infield hit by Luke Burch and scored as Alec Tuohy reached on an error.

Quotes from Coach

“We just didn’t execute,” said Wright State Head Coach Jeff Mercer. “We had some good at-bats, but we just didn’t put enough pressure on them. We have to learn from this and move on.”

“It was a tough loss, but we have to keep our heads up and keep working hard,” said senior catcher Ryan Davis “We have a lot of season left and we still believe in ourselves. We just need to keep grindin’.”

Quotes from Players

“It was a tough loss, but we’re going to keep our heads up and keep working hard,” said Wright State senior shortstop Kevin Williams. “We have to take it one game at a time and not get too down on ourselves.”

“We didn’t play our best Game Today but there is a lot of season left,” said Wright State junior third baseman Braden Smith. “We just have to keep working hard and getting better every day.”

What’s Next

The Wright State Baseball Team will look to get in the win column for the first time this season when it hosts Kent State in a three-game series this weekend at Nischwitz Stadium.

The Raiders (0-2) dropped their opening series of the year, losing two of three at Big Ten opponent Indiana. Wright State fell behind early in all three games and was never able to recover, losing by scores of 10-1, 9-3 and 4-0.

Against the Hoosiers, senior outfielder Justin Mitchell led the way offensively, going 4-for-9 with a home run and two RBIs. Junior catcher Connor Echols also had a good series, recording four hits, including a double, and driving in two runs.

On the mound, senior right-hander Karsen Lindell was solid in his first start of the season, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings of work. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.

The Golden Flashes (1-2) also lost their opening series, falling to Cincinnati in three games. Kent State was competitive in all three contests but could not get over the hump, losing 9-8, 5-3 and 7-6.

This will be the first meeting between Wright State and Kent State since 2013. The Raiders lead the all-time series 31-22 but the Golden Flashes have won four of the last five meetings.

Conclusion

The Wright State baseball team fell to 0-2 on the season with a loss to Kent State on Sunday. The Raiders gave up four runs in the first inning and were never able to recover, eventually falling by a final score of 10-4.

This was a disappointing result for the Raiders, who had hopes of starting the season strong after a solid performance in their opening game against Ohio State However, the team will have to regroup and prepare for their next game against Miami (OH) on Tuesday.