Wichita State baseball battled with its highest-ranked opponent of the season over the weekend. The Shockers gave up a seven-run lead in game two and a three-run lead in game three against the No. 9-ranked East Carolina University (ECU) en route to a sweep.
With a 2-10 record in April, the Shockers have fallen to 7-8 in the American Athletic Conference and 21-20 overall. ECU is 11-4 in the AAC.
Game one
Wichita State fell short of a comeback in the series opener on Friday, falling 6-4 to the Pirates.
ECU scored runs in the second, third and fourth innings to jump to a 6-0 lead. The Shockers rallied for three runs in the seventh and got another in the eighth. With two outs in the eighth and the tying run at the plate, freshman Gannon Snyder struck out looking to end the inning.
In the ninth, the Pirates struck out the side to close out the game. Senior Caden Favors picked up the loss on the mound for Wichita State, dropping his season record to 5-4. Senior Dayvin Johnson led the way at the plate for WSU, going two-for-four with a double.
Game two
Wichita State played a Saturday doubleheader against the Pirates. In the afternoon game, the Shockers scored seven runs in the third inning but could not plate anyone else, losing 11-7.
The third inning Wichita State rally culminated in a grand slam from Johnson followed by a solo shot from junior Derek Williams. The seven-run Wichita State lead was short-lived, as the Pirates responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame, including a three-RBI homer.
ECU picked up another run in the fourth before taking the lead, 8-7, with three runs in the fifth. In the sixth, the Pirates scored their final runs with a two-run homer.
Wichita State sported a balanced offensive attack in the first game, with eight different batters reaching base with a hit. Five different pitchers took the mound for the Shockers, with sophomore Caleb Anderson picking up the loss after entering the game in the fourth and giving up three runs.
Game three
In the evening game on Saturday, Wichita State took another early lead but still lost, 11-4.
The Shockers pushed across three runs in the first due in part to a fielding error and balk from the Pirates. With one swing of the bat in the bottom of the fourth, ECU evened the score with a three-run homer.
The Pirates piled on three more in the fifth, four in the seventh and one more in the eighth to put the win away.
Junior Mauricio Millan went three-for-five at the plate and scored a run. Freshman Tommy LaPour got the start and the loss on the mound for the Shockers, giving up five runs in 4 ⅔ innings.
Wichita State will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
