Shockers shut out KU at home

Jacqueline Elson, Reporter|April 18, 2018

Wichita State junior Alec Bohm throws to first in a game against KU at Eck Stadium.

WSU had their second mid-week game at home and beat the Jayhawks 11-0 and made their way to a 26-9 record so far this season.

Freshman starting pitcher Tyler Davis went for five innings and collected eight strikeouts in his first career start. In the top of the second, Davis shut out the first three batters and had another three in the third.

“It makes it really easy to pitch when your offense puts up 11 runs, and they’ve been doing that a lot,” Tyler Davis said. “I just go out there and pitch and have fun with them.”

The Shockers were the first to score in the bottom of the first after senior Gunnar Troutwine, who lead the team with four RBI, reached on a fielder’s choice with an RBI as junior Luke Ritter ran home.

In the second inning junior Jordan Boyer, who was 2-for-4, doubled to right field and took third on a fielding error. Then junior Travis Young singled up the middle with an RBI, which sent Boyer home for another run.

“We’ve been swinging really well, we’ve been kinda stringing at bats together like tonight,” Jordan Boyer said. “Just to get three or four hits in a row is a lot, so four doubles is big. We take defense way over the top, we work a lot every day and letting our hard work show tonight was the biggest thing.”

WSU had some trouble at the plate, but only until the bottom of the fifth when the team drove in five more runs in back to back hits.

Troutwine doubled to left field with two RBI, letting senior Trey Vickers and Young score.

After a pitching change from KU, the Shockers kept their power at the plate. Junior Greyson Jenista doubled to left center field to send Troutwine home. Then junior Dayton Dugas doubled to right center field with Jenista running home, and freshman Paxton Wallace doubled to right field to let Dugas score, keeping them in the lead 7-0.

KU was still struggling at the plate with the eighth inning approaching, when the Shockers brought home three more runs.

Jenista flied out to center field on a sacrifice fly that let junior Alec Bohm score. Then freshman Hunter Gibson came in on a pinch hit and singled up the middle with two RBI, driving Dugas and freshman Ross Cadena home for the last two runs.

The Shockers head down to Houston for their next weekend series that begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. and continues through Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and ends with Sunday’s game at 1 p.m. The team will face KU again while on the road next Tuesday.