Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State hit and scored better than any team in the country this season. But put two teams in Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., and it turns into home run derby.
The Raiders, playing in the NCAA regionals for the ninth time, hit their share of home runs in two games over the weekend – six – but their opponents combined for 10. On Friday night, the difference was a walk-off grand slam by Drew Gilbert to lift No. 3 overall seed Tennessee to a 9-8 victory.
Needing a win to stay alive in the double-elimination four-team regional, Wright State couldn’t keep Duke in the park Saturday. The Blue Devils hit six homers, including three by RJ Schreck, and rolled past the Raiders 14-6.
“It’s definitely a gut punch after last night,” said Wright State senior catcher Konner Piotto. “We played our butts off and what a game that was. We were ready to go.”
The game started like the back-and-forth Tennessee game in which Quincy Hamilton gave the Raiders a late lead with a three-run homer. Schreck homered for a 2-0 Duke lead in the first inning. The Raiders (35-13) rallied to tie before Schreck hit his second two-run homer in the third for a 4-2 lead. After another Duke 2-run homer, the Raiders answered on Tyler Black’s solo homer, his third of the weekend.
Three more Duke (33-21) homers, including Schreck’s third, led to a six-run fifth to put Duke up 13-4.
