NILES, Ohio -- No. 4 Wright State rallied to defeat No. 5 Youngstown State 6-3 in the first game of the Horizon League Baseball Tournament at Eastwood Field.
Raiders head coach Rob Cooper took a calculated gamble by starting Wright State's No. 2 pitcher in the first game and the move paid off as Joey Hoelzel recovered from a shaky start to earn the win, tossing 7.0 innings while allowing nine hits, three earned runs and four walks with one strikeout.
Youngstown State starter Patrick O'Brien took the loss on 6.2 innings pitched, seven hits, five runs (two earned), no walks and one strikeout.
Justin Kopale put the Raiders ahead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning, tripling to the gap in left-center to drive in Sam Picchiotti, who had reached on an error. Kopale was at third base with no outs for Wright State, but a lineout and two groundouts quickly ended the threat.
The Raiders added an insurance run in the bottom the of fifth when Picchiotti scored on a two-out single by Michael Timm. Picchiotti lifted a solo home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the eighth to give the game its final 6-3 tally.
Wright State had tied the game in the bottom of the third. Garrett Gray reached on an error with two outs, allowing Timm to score from third. Gray then stole second and third before scoring on a single by Kieston Greene. Greene scored the first run of the game for the Raiders on Picchiotti's second-inning sac fly.
Youngstown State jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring in each of the first two innings but not again. Josh White's RBI single scored Neil Schroth to open the scoring and Phil Lipari scored on a single by Nick DiNello to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead in the first. Schroth's triple in the second scored Mike Accardi with what proved to be YSU's last run.
The Penguins will face elimination at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday against the loser of tomorrow morning's Valpo-UIC matchup. Wright State will face the winner of the game at 3 p.m. ET.
