ATLANTA — No. 11 Georgia Tech pulled away late with four runs in the eighth inning to top the Wright State baseball program 9-6 on Sunday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Raiders (0-3) led for the majority of the series finale, possessing a 5-3 advantage after three innings and a 6-5 edge going into the eighth frame. However, the Yellow Jackets (3-0) struck through with four runs on three hits and a walk in the bottom of the eighth inning, punctuated by Chandler Simpson hitting a three-run triple with two outs.
In the third frame, Gehrig Anglin launched a three-run home run, pushing Wright State’s edge to 5-3. Zane Harris added a solo homer in the sixth inning to build the Raider edge to 6-4, while Luke Arnold went 1-for-2 with a sac fly RBI and walk. Alec Sayre batted 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored in the loss while also making two diving grabs from right field in the seventh inning, keeping WSU’s 6-5 lead intact.
Left-handed pitcher Sebastian Gongora earned the Sunday start, allowing four runs — two earned — on five hits and two walks in 4.1 innings of work. He struck out four batters in his first collegiate outing and held the high-powered Tech offense scoreless in the third and fourth frames.
Garrett Simpson provided solid work out of the pen, giving up just one run on two hits in 1.2 innings. Josh Laisure (0-1) tossed a scoreless seventh inning but was handed the decision after being tagged for four runs in the next frame.
WSU finished with nine hits in 33 plate appearances, including four extra-base hits and a .333 (2-for-6) average with runners in scoring position. The Raiders were also aggressive on the base paths, as Anglin and Julian Greenwell stole two bases. Defensively, Wright State committed no errors from the second inning on.
Next weekend, the Raiders will continue their season-opening road swing at No. 7 Oklahoma State.