On Saturday night, Wright State triumphed over East Tennessee State with a score of 7-5 during a decisive elimination game in the Nashville Regional, thanks to Luke Arnold’s crucial home run. The Raiders, who came into the game as the fourth seed, secured their victory when Arnold hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, thus sealing the win against ETSU.
Throughout the game, Wright State showcased their ability to score through home runs, as they registered four in total. Gus Gregory initiated the home-run streak with a solo shot in the first inning. Then, Boston Smith followed in the second inning with another homer off ETSU starter, Michael Harpster, leading to a quick 4-0 advantage when Will Cook contributed a double that drove in two more runs.
East Tennessee State made a comeback attempt, as Jamie Palmese hit a three-run blast in the fourth inning, narrowing the gap. This momentum continued into the fifth inning with JD Yakubinis and Cody Miller each hitting solo homers to provide ETSU a brief 5-4 lead.
However, the game tightened once more in the seventh inning when Patrick Fultz restored the tie for Wright State by delivering a solo home run of his own. It was in the eighth inning that Boston Smith’s single, followed immediately by Arnold’s pivotal home run, ultimately decided the game’s outcome. Arnold’s shot came against Brady Frederick, the ETSU pitcher with an 8-2 record.
The Buckaneers (41-17) had an impressive season, setting a new program record with 121 home runs, ranking third in Southern Conference history. This remarkable feat surpassed ETSU’s former season home run record of 93 set in 2010. Additionally, the team concluded the season with the second-highest number of wins in the program’s history, just short of the 44 victories achieved in 1981.
Wright State (39-19) will now advance to face the loser of a match between Louisville and top-seed Vanderbilt, who had narrowly edged past the Raiders with a 4-3 win on Friday.