Garrett Bayliff and Casey Gillaspie shot the Wichita State baseball team to its first victory of the season in the team’s opening game Friday against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The Shockers put away the Cougars late in the game to pull off a 6-1 win to start the season.

“I’m excited to get this first victory as a Shocker,” coach Todd Butler said.

Bayliff went one-for-three in that matchup with three RBI. Gillaspie had two RBI with two hits in five at bats.

SIU’s Devin Caldwell scored the first run of the game on a double to deep left field with two outs in the first.

Cale Elam threw five innings for the Shockers, striking out seven and giving up one run. Aaron LaBrie replaced Elam in the sixth, allowing three hits and no runs in three innings.

Chase Simpson scored the first run for the Shockers in the bottom of the sixth. With Bayliff on second and Gillaspie at first, Simpson sent a shot through the infield and into center to bring Bayliff home.

The Shockers pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh after Bayliff was hit by a pitch with bases loaded. The next at bat, Gillaspie hit a single that allowed Tanner Deerman and Mikel Mucha to score, giving WSU a 4-1 lead.

Gillaspie commended the other players on the team for putting him in the situation to make the play, something he’s comfortable with after three years on the team.

“You learn to control your emotions a little bit when those situations come up,” he said.

Gillaspie tipped his hat to Edwardsville pitcher Ryan Daniels, who allowed three hits in five innings. Gillaspie said the breakthrough point was coming against the pitcher shortly before he left the game

Bayliff extended an already comfortable lead in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run shot of his own to give WSU a five point lead and cutback any hopes Edwardsville had of winning the game.

Bayliff said first game jitters were part of the reason the Shockers didn’t put up any runs until the second half of the game.

“It took us five or six innings to get going,” Bayliff said, “but I think that seventh inning we finally settled in and kind of got comfortable at the plate.”

With his first game, and first win, under his belt as a Shocker, Butler was already looking ahead to the next game.

“I look forward to waking up tomorrow and getting ready to play these guys again,” he said.

The Shockers will play their second game of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing out the games against Edwardsville Sunday at 1 p.m.