Shocker baseball fights hard in last game of Nebraska series
Wichita State’s Alec Bohm runs home happily after hitting a grand slam against Nebraska on March 2nd at Eck Stadium.
The Shockers started their series against Nebraska with a winning record 6-0 and hoped to finish it off with another sweep this weekend.
The Shockers were slower at the plate to begin the game, but their fielding held Nebraska down to 0 runs all the way until the top of the eighth inning, only allowing the Huskers one run the entire game.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, junior Alec Bohm doubled to center field with a catching error by Nebraska. Shortly after, junior Dayton Dugas hit out of left field, and Bohm advanced to third base.
Then came the first major turning point of the game. After junior Luke Ritter walked to first, junior Mason O’Brien hit a grandslam out of right field to bring home Ritter, Dugas, and Bohm, which put the score at 4-0.
“The goals are to take every at bat one at a time and just keep seeing the ball and my teammates just keep getting on base and giving me good opportunities,” junior Mason O’Brien said.
Later into the bottom of the sixth inning, O’Brien singled to center field with another RBI bringing in Bohm for another run, with the Shockers still ahead now at 5-0.
Into the bottom of the seventh inning, senior Gunnar Troutwine singled up the middle to center field, and then stole second base on a wild pitch, while junior Jordan Boyer was at bat and walked. Immediately after, sophomore Alex Jackson hit a sacrifice bunt to let Boyer steal second and Troutwine take third. Soon after, junior Greyson Jenista walked and bases were loaded.
Then Bohm was at the plate and hit the second grandslam of the game out of left field, to let Troutwine, Boyer, and Jenista score which put the Shockers ahead 9-0. Later in the top of the eighth Nebraska scored their first and only run, but the Shockers were still ahead then at 9-1, which was the final score once the top of the ninth inning had ended. Wichita State had a record of 7-0 and would face Nebraska again the next day.
On Saturday Jenista, Bohm, and Ritter each hit a homerun and Nebraska would only score three runs that day, putting the Shockers ahead again with a final score of 6-3, with a record of 8-0.
Then in the last matchup on Sunday, the Shockers were head to head with Nebraska throughout the game which went to ten innings. The Huskers had five runs in the top of the fifth inning and two in the top of the ninth to give them a better chance, while the Shockers had not scored since the bottom of the sixth.
Nebraska came back for a win against the Shockers 10-9, leaving WSU with their first loss of the season with an 8-1 record.
The Shockers matchup against SIU Edwardsville starts at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Eck Stadium and will be in Tulsa, OK on Wednesday when they face Oral Roberts at 3 p.m.
