Entering the bottom of the third inning in Stillwater on Tuesday night, Wichita State and Oklahoma State were tied 1-1. Then, after an almost 40-minute half inning, the Cowboys lead ballooned to 9-1.
The eight-run inning included six walks, three hits, a hit batter and three Shocker pitchers.
Senior left-handed pitcher Heitaro Hayashi started the third for WSU and allowed five runs, four of which were earned. Brady Owens, also a senior lefty, replaced Hayashi and walked in four straight runs, including a stretch of 13 straight balls, before he was pulled without recording an out.
Another left-hander, Reese Kortum, relieved Owens and recorded two quick outs to finally end the inning, but the damage was already done.
The nightmare inning led to the Shockers (24-18, 8-7 American) falling to Oklahoma State (25-16, 8-10 Big 12) 14-4 in a seven-inning run-rule shortened game that dropped them to 1-6 in midweek contests.
Kortum, a Nebraska native, calmed things down for WSU, allowing a single run while striking out four batters in 2 2/3 innings. Junior right-hander Caleb Reed came in for Kortum and gave up a two-run homer to left center field in the bottom of the sixth, which extended the Cowboys’ lead to 11-4.
Freshman lefty Ethan Rogers, who hadn’t pitched since walking all three batters he faced against Kansas State two weeks ago, replaced Kortum in the seventh and issued a free pass to the first hitter he saw. Then, later in the inning, Rogers gave up a walkoff three-run home run to left-center field that sealed the win for the Cowboys’, one of the top power-hitting teams in the country.
Wichita State’s offense responded after Oklahoma State put up eight runs in the third, but the Shockers couldn’t cash in when runners were on base. Trailing 9-1 in the top of the fifth, the Shockers loaded the bases with one out but pinch hitters Jack Quick and Zeb Henry both struck out to end the threat.
In the top of the seventh, WSU loaded the bases again and brought up another pinch hitter in Owen Washburn. On the second pitch of the at bat, Washburn flew out to the center fielder to leave the bases full for the second time in three innings.
This lack of pinch-hitting success was uncharacteristic for the Shockers, who were hitting .356 in pinch-hit scenarios going into Tuesday night’s game. However, Wichita State leaving 10 runners stranded was more of the same. In the series against ECU last weekend, WSU lost two of three games and left a total of 35 runners on base — 12 in the opener, 11 in the second game and 12 in the finale.
A positive of Wichita State’s recent offense is that junior first baseman Nolan Ganter has been one of the most consistent bats in the lineup. Against Oklahoma State, he notched two hits, scored a run, walked once and drove in two. A transfer from Pima Community College in Arizona, Ganter has hit 16-for-31 (.516) in April to bring his batting average to a team-high .391.
Alex Ulloa, a graduate shortstop, also had a solid night at the plate Tuesday, finishing with two hits and an RBI. Senior left fielder Jaden Gustafson contributed two hits to go along with a walk.
Wichita State, 7-9 away from Eck Stadium, closed out a challenging road trip with a 3-5 record.
The Shockers are back home against Rice in an American Conference series starting at 6:05 p.m. Friday at Eck Stadium.
