NCAA Tournament: Wright State’s upset bid falls short at Stanford

Wright State reliever Jeremy Randolph fires a pitch plateward during Friday night’s game at Stanford. Chris Leung/CONTRIBUTED

Wright State reliever Jeremy Randolph fires a pitch plateward during Friday night’s game at Stanford. Chris Leung/CONTRIBUTED

Christian Robinson doubled past first baseman Gabe Snyder to drive in Andrew Daschbach with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning to lift Stanford to a 4-3 win over Wright State early Saturday morning in the first round of the Stanford Regional at Sunken Diamond.

Robinson’s chopper went past Snyder into the right field corner. Daschbach scored from first base – a heartbreaking loss for the Raiders (39-16), who fought back from a 3-1 deficit and pushed the third-ranked team in the country to the edge.

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It was the longest postseason game in Raiders history. The Cardinal (45-10) advance to Saturday’s winner’s bracker to face Cal State Fullerton, a 6-2 winner over Baylor earlier Friday. Wright State will face the Bears in an elimination game at 6 p.m. EDT.

Wright State tied the score in the seventh. With one out, Bentley Jones walked and Zach Weatherford followed with a single. That chased Stanford starter Tristan Beck. With the game on the line, Cardinal coach David Esquer called on closer Jack Little.

He got leadoff hitter Matt Morrow on a fly out but then J.D. Orr singled in a run. Then, in a surprising three-pitch sequence, Little sent two pitches past catcher Christian Molfetta. One was scored a passed ball, the other a wild pitch and the Raiders had tied the score.

Morrow led off the game with his first home run of the season. The 5-foot-10, 180 pound junior muscled up on Beck on the second pitch of the game to give the Raiders a short-lived 1-0 lead.

The Cardinal answered with two in the bottom of the first. Beau Branton led off with a single and after a wild pitch and a strikeout, Nico Hoerner singled him in. Wright State left fielder Orr tried vainly to come in and catch the sinking liner but instead the ball shot by him for a two-base error. Another wild pitch by Weiss brough Hoerner home.

Stanford added a run in the fifth when Alex Wilson doubled to lead off the inning and Tim Tawa singled him in.

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