Wright State completes sweep of NKU at home of Dayton Dragons

Wright State’s Peyton Burdick rounds third during a game vs. NKU at Fifth Third Field on Sunday, May 12, 2019. Joseph Craven/CONTRIBUTED

Wright State’s Peyton Burdick rounds third during a game vs. NKU at Fifth Third Field on Sunday, May 12, 2019. Joseph Craven/CONTRIBUTED

It was a bit different for the Wright State baseball team on Sunday, playing a home game with mud. That’s usually not a problem at Nischwitz Stadium where the only dirt on the all turf field is the pitching mound.

For the second year in a row the Raiders played at Fifth Third Field, the home of the Dayton Dragons, where a steady rain turned the infield dirt to mud, but it didn’t slow down the Raiders as they swept a series against Northern Kentucky with a 9-1 win.

Wright State jumped out to an early lead with a pair or runs in the first inning. Peyton Burdick delivered the first run with a sacrifice fly. Seth Gray followed with a triple and then came home on an RBI single from Tyler Black.

The Raiders tacked on two more runs with two outs in the second inning. Senior Brandon Giltrow blasted a two-run home run down the left field line. It was the third home run of the season for the catcher from Lakota West.

The constant showers sent most of the fans for cover, but it didn’t bother Tyler Black. The freshman from Toronto, Canada, drove in two more runs with a single through a drawn-in infield in the sixth inning.

He capped off his best day in his brief Wright State career with a two -run single in the eighth inning. Black went 3-for-4 on with five RBIs, raising his batting average to .329 on the season.

Wright State (37-15, 19-8) owns a 2 ½ game lead over Milwaukee with three games left to play in the Horizon League schedule.

The Raiders have a non-conference game at Kent State on Tuesday before closing out the regular season with a three-game series in suburban Detroit against Oakland with afternoon games Thursday through Saturday.

The Horizon League tournament will be played at Nischwitz Stadium on May 22-25 even if the Raiders finish behind Milwaukee in the standings. The Panthers don’t have a stadium where they could host the six-team tournament.

About the Author