In Wichita State baseball’s first ever series with new conference foe, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), the Shockers were able to win the series, 2-1, over the weekend.
Wichita State is now 21-16 on the season and 7-5 in American Athletic Conference play. FAU is 19-14 overall and 6-6 in conference.
Friday
Wichita State’s first ever game against FAU ended with a 4-2 loss.
The Shockers utilized three pitchers throughout the game: senior Caden Favors, and juniors Hunter Holmes and Mason Munz.
Favors pitched seven innings and picked up the loss, bringing his season record to 5-3. He allowed eight hits, four runs and struck out nine batters.
FAU scored first in the fourth when junior John Schroeder hit a two-run shot that brought in himself and sophomore Patrick Ward.
Wichita State did all its scoring in the sixth. Senior Dayvin Johnson hit a double to right field which allowed freshman Lane Haworth to come home. Later in the inning, sophomore Jaden Gustafson grounded out to third base and let Johnson run in.
Saturday
Both teams fought through a windy matinee with the Shockers coming out on top, 14-9.
Wichita State opened up the scoreboard in the first as junior Derek Williams hit a single that allowed Haworth to score. Haworth led the Shockers in RBIs with three.
FAU scored two in the top of the second but Wichita State one-upped the Owls by scoring three at the bottom of the frame. This back-and-forth scoring pattern would continue throughout the game until the eighth inning.
The Shockers were especially productive in the eighth, scoring six of its 14 runs in the inning. A solo homer from Johnson started the Shockers’ scoring run.
Jack Mount, a junior right-handed pitcher, earned the win after pitching just one inning, allowing two hits and one run. Tommy LaPour, a freshman right-handed pitcher, pitched five innings and struck out five batters. LaPour conceded six runs and four hits to FAU.
Sunday
Due to a travel curfew, the Shockers and the Owls only played eight innings in the final matchup of the series. Wichita State won, 10-5.
In typical fashion for the weekend, scoring began with a bang as senior Seth Stroh hit a solo home run to right field. The Shockers would go on an unanswered 7-0 scoring run until the sixth.
Wichita State’s offense slowed in the later frames which gave Florida Atlantic a chance to play catch-up. At the top of the seventh, the Owls brought the score to 7-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, a single from junior Mauricio Millan and a double from Stroh brought in three runs to create more distance in the score.
Freshman Tyler Dobbs picked up the win for the Shockers with seven strikeouts as Holmes picked up the save.
Baseball will face Oral Roberts in Eck Stadium on April 17 at 6 p.m.
