Kopilchack's Walk-off Home Run Lifts Wright State to Victory in Horizon League Baseball Championship

May 27, 2005

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John Kopilchack hit the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off home run to propel fourth-seed Wright State University to an 11-10 elimination-game victory over fifth-seed Cleveland State University Friday in the 2005 Horizon League Baseball Championship at Victory Field.


Kopilchack's blast over the right field fence off Jeff Katlan (1-5) capped a high-scoring game in which the teams combined for 20 runs through the first six innings but had gone a scoreless 2 1/2 innings before the game-winner.


Friday's victory was the second over Cleveland State in three days for Wright State, which posted a 5-2 win in Wednesday's tournament opener. With the win, the Raiders (26-32) turn right around to face third-seed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 3 p.m. Indianapolis local time in another elimination contest.


In the back-and-forth game, Wright State fell behind 3-0 before taking an 8-3 lead in the fourth inning, only to see the Vikings (14-36) go up 10-8 in the top of the sixth. But the Raiders responded with two in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Brian Shoup, who then scored the tying run when Kopilchack grounded into a double play.


After trailing 3-2 through three innings, Bryan Vickers keyed a six-run fourth for the Raiders with a three-run home run off the left field foul pole. One out later, Paul Majestic added a two-run homer -- his team-tying seventh of the season -- to put Wright State up 8-3.


But the Vikings plated two in the fifth and five more in the sixth, tying the game on Steve Chinn's two-run single to center in the sixth. Dominic Erney then stroked a two-out double to the wall in right-center to give Cleveland State a short-lived 10-8 lead.


Cleveland State had taken a 3-0 lead in the top of the third on a two-run home run by Gary Ball.


Joe Smith (1-2) pitched three scoreless innings to pick up the victory for Wright State.


The teams combined for 29 hits, led by Bobby Cash and Josh Geric, who had three hits apiece for the Vikings.

Game 6123456789RHE#5 Cleveland State102025000--10162#4 Wright State002602001--11120

WP-Joe Smith (1-2)LP-Jeff Katlan (1-5)HR-CSU Gary Ball (1), WSU Bryan Vickers (6), Paul Majestic (7), John Kopilchack (3)Time-2:40