WSU, OAK, & MKE Pick Up Wins on Day Two of the #HLBASE Championship
DAYTON, OHIO – The 2023 #HLBASE Championship continued on Thursday with No. 1 seed Wright State, No. 2 seed Oakland, and No. 5 seed Milwaukee picking up victories. Unfortunately for No. 3 seed Northern Kentucky, they will be heading home after dropping two games on the day.
No. 1 Wright State 6, No. 5 Milwaukee 3
The top-seeded Wright State Raiders claimed a victory over Milwaukee in the opening game of the day by a final of 6-3. The Raiders were led by Jay Luikart and Sebastian Gongora. Luikart went 2-for-5 with a double and drove in three of the Raiders six runs. Gongora highlighted why he was the #HLBASE Pitcher of the Year as he went 8.0 innings, scattering three runs on six hits while striking out five. Gongora picked up his tenth win on the season.
The Raiders jumped out to a four run lead in the bottom of the second as Boston Smith hit a RBI double, Dane Thomas hit a sac-fly, and Luikart hit a two RBI double. Julian Greenwell added another run as he hit a line-drive home run to right field in the bottom of the third. Wright State scored their final run when Luikart hit a RBI single to give the Raiders a 6-0 advantage in the bottom of the sixth.
The Panthers attempted to claw their way back as Mark Connelly drove in two runs on a single in the top of the seventh to cut their deficit to four. Tommy Benson hit a solo shot from the right side of the plate in the top of the eighth to make it a three run game. In the top of the ninth, Wright State’s Tristan Haught came in and shut the door on Milwaukee to earn his fourth save of the season.
Milwaukee’s Nick Gilhaus took the loss as he went 2.0 innings, allowing four runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out one.
Wright State will face No. 2 seed Oakland in the first game on Friday, May 26 at noon ET.
No. 2 Oakland 13, No. 3 Northern Kentucky 8
Oakland took their first game of the tournament over the three-seeded Northern Kentucky as the Golden Grizzlies won by a final of 13-8. Thomas Green and Sean Fekete helped lead the Grizzlies towards victory as Green went 3-for-3 with two walks and drove in four runs. Fekete went 6.1 innings, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out two and giving up no runs.
Oakland started their scoring in the bottom of the third as they saw Brandon Heidal hit a RBI double to tally their first run. That was then followed by Green, John Lauinger, and Lucas Loos all hitting RBI singles to make it 4-0 after three innings.
Oakland’s Brandon Nigh tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with his two RBI single to center field. Gabe Lux tallied another run for the Golden Grizzlies as he hit a sac-fly in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to seven. Oakland tacked on three more runs to make it 10-0 in the bottom of the sixth as Jared Miller hit a two RBI single.
Northern Kentucky got on the board in the top of the seventh as Treyvin Moss hit a RBI single, John Odom hit a RBI double, and Adam Schneider hit a two RBI single to make it 10-4.
Oakland responded in the bottom of the seventh as Loos and Green drove in runs to widen Oakland’s gap to nine runs.
In the top of the eighth, the Norse attempted to stage a comeback as Odom and Schneider both hit two RBI doubles to make it 13-8.
Northern Kentucky’s Clay Brock took the loss as he allowed six runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four over 3.0 innings.
Oakland advances to Friday as they will take on the No. 1 seed Wright State in the first game on Friday, May 26 at noon ET.
No. 5 Milwaukee 10, No. 3 Northern Kentucky 8
Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky squared off in a win or go home game to conclude day two of the #HLBASE Championship. Heading into the bottom of the eighth, the score was 8-5 in favor of Milwaukee. Northern Kentucky capitalized as Liam McFadden-Ackman roped a single to bring the deficit to two runs. Manny Vorhees then slashed a two RBI triple to right-center field to tie the game at eight.
After a quiet ninth inning, the game went to extras. Milwaukee immediately capitalized in the top of the tenth as Jack Thelen came in to score on a wild pitch to give the Panthers a one run advantage. Marcus Cline came through for the Panthers again today as he added an insurance run on a sac-fly to extend their lead to two.
Nate DeYoung shut down the Norse in the bottom of the tenth to earn the win, as he went 2.1 innings, surrendering only one hit and walking two, while striking out three and giving up no runs.
Getting the game started was Milwaukee’s Aaron Chapman and Nate DeYoung as Chapman grounded out, but drove in a run in the process, while DeYoung hit a sac-fly to give the Panthers an early two run advantage in the first frame of the game.
Milwaukee’s Tommy Benson hit his second home run of the day in the top of the second, but this time from the left side of the plate. In the top of the third, Nate DeYoung singled to left to drive in a run for Milwaukee, before Jake Novak reached on an error, which allowed two runners to score to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead. The Norse struck back in the bottom of the third as McFadden-Ackman hit an infield single to bring in a run. Vorhees hit a single to right field, which drove in a run, making it now 6-2. Odom also hit an infield single, which helped bring in the runner from third, bringing the Norse within three.
Mark Connelly continued to stay hot for the Panthers as he hit a single to left-center field in the top of the fourth, which drove in two runs, pushing Milwaukee ahead 8-3.
Northern Kentucky’s Noah Fisher, the #HLBASE Player of the Year, helped bring the Norse closer as he hit an opposite field two run home run in the bottom of the fourth to bring the Norse back within three. The game then remained scoreless until the bottom of the eighth.
Casey Maniglia of Northern Kentucky was charged with the loss, as he went 1.0 innings, allowing no earned runs on one hit and struck out one.
Milwaukee will now wait to see who they play as they will play the loser of the Wright State and Oakland game on Friday, May 26 at 4 p.m. ET.