Black has five hits to propel Wright State to lopsided win

Toronto Mets alum Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) had five hits, four runs and three RBIs to help Wright State to a 29-6 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday. Photo: Wright State Athletics (File photo)

Toronto Mets alum Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) had five hits, four runs and three RBIs to help Wright State to a 29-6 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday. Photo: Wright State Athletics (File photo)

May 2, 2021

Official Wright State Athletics Press Release

The Wright State baseball team used a 13-run fifth inning to break open what had been a close game on the way to a 29-6 victory on Sunday afternoon as the Raiders completed the four-game road Horizon League sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne.

The Raiders (22-10, 21-3) scored 88 runs over the four games, averaging just shy of three runs an inning, while collecting 28 doubles, 15 home runs and a pair of triples over the four-game sweep.

Wright State now returns home to Nischwitz Stadium for its final two regular season series, beginning with Milwaukee this upcoming weekend before hosting Oakland May 14-16. Because of the schedule layout and COVID issues with opposing teams, the Raiders have not played at home at The Nisch since March 14.

On Sunday, Fort Wayne took an early two-run lead after solo home runs in the first two innings before the Raider offense took control. A sacrifice fly from Gehrig Anglin in the third, followed in the fourth inning by an Alec Sayre solo homer and a Quincy Hamilton sacrifice fly, gave Wright State the lead and set up the big inning.

The fifth frame saw Wright State send 17 batters to the plate, tallying the 13 runs on six hits. Key knocks in the inning included a three-run double from Zane Harris and two-run doubles from Alex Alders, Tyler Black (Toronto, Ont.) and Sayre. Konner Piotto drew a bases loaded walk in his first at-bat of the inning to bring in a run, then later drove in another with his double to right center field.

The Raiders added on in the sixth thanks to Hamilton's two-run homer and an RBI double from Jay Luikart before a seven-run eighth inning that saw a two-run double from Justin McConnell and an RBI double from Hamilton as part of the inning. Wright State capped the afternoon with a solo homer from Alders and RBI single s from Black and Alex Neff in the ninth.

Seven Raiders had multiple hit games, paced by Black's five hits and a four-hit game from Hamilton. Eight players drove in multiple RBI, and 12 total players drove in runs, led by four RBI each from Hamilton and Sayre. Wright State collected 10 doubles on the day, including three from Hamilton and two from both Black and McConnell.

Austin Cline struck out eight Fort Wayne batters over six innings to improve to 6-1 on the season, scattering eight hits with the two runs and a walk. Logan Tabeling, Justin Hornschemeier and Mitch Gremling each tossed an inning of relief to wrap up the afternoon, with Hornschemeier striking out the side and Tabeling recording two strikeouts of his own.

Fort Wayne starter Cameron Boyd allowed seven runs (six earned) with four walks and a pair of wild pitched over the opening four innings on the way to the loss, while Zac Baden and Robert Young III were the only Mastodon players with two hits.