In its first series of conference play from Friday to Sunday, Wichita State’s baseball team went 2-1 on the road against the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
After the series win over the Blazers, the Shockers sit with a 15-8 overall record and begin conference play at 2-1. UAB falls to 11-12 this season.
Friday
Wichita State dropped its first game against UAB on Friday, 5-3.
Freshman Camden Johnson opened up a 1-0 lead for the Shockers with an RBI double in the top of the third inning, but the Blazers answered by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth and two runs in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead.
Solo home runs by junior Derek Williams in the top of the sixth inning and freshman Kam Durnin in the top of the seventh inning were not enough for Wichita State to close the deficit.
Senior Caden Favors was credited with his first loss of the season, dropping him to 4-1 on the mound. Favors pitched six innings, giving up five runs on six hits and striking out seven batters.
Johnson and Williams each hit 2-for-4 during the game.
Saturday
In game two, the Shockers found success as they won, 9-2.
Wichita State drove in nine runs on 13 hits, starting at the top of the second inning as junior Mauricio Millan sent one over the fence on a full-count and Johnson hit an RBI double to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Shockers opened up a 6-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning as senior Dayvin Johnson popped a three-RBI home run and Millan earned his second RBI of the game on a sacrifice bunt.
UAB answered with another run in the bottom of the eighth inning, closing the gap to 6-2.
Wichita State sealed the win in the top of the ninth inning after sophomore Jaden Gustafson hit a two-RBI double, and Millan completed his hat trick of RBIs on a single to left field.
Freshman Brady Hamilton won his first game on the mound in a five-inning, seven-hit, one-earned-run outing.
Redshirt junior Jordan Rogers went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate during the contest, crossing home plate twice.
Sunday
After trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning of the rubber match, the Shockers scored nine unanswered runs to win the series.
Junior Josh Livingston crossed home plate in the top of the second inning, then hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to give Wichita State a 2-1 advantage.
Once the Shockers took the lead, they never looked back as Gustafson doubled in both the top of the fifth and seventh inning, earning two RBIs in the fifth and one more in the seventh.
Wichita State piled on three more runs in the top of the seventh, capped off as Livingston crossed home plate for the third time to take a commanding 8-1 lead.
Gustafson scored the final run after redshirt sophomore Alex Birge drew a full-count walk in the top of the ninth inning.
Freshman Tommy LaPour was victorious on the mound for the Shockers after he pitched five innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out nine batters.
Gustafson went 4-for-5 in the ballgame with three RBIs and scored two runs.
Wichita State baseball’s next game will be on Tuesday, March 26 in Eck Stadium, facing off against Oklahoma State University. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
