Despite hitting at least one home run in every game, Wichita State baseball lost its series at home over the weekend against Tulane University, 2-1.
After the series loss, the Shockers’ record dropped to 22-23 overall, their first time being below .500 since February and 8-10 in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane improved to 9-9 in the AAC.
Game one
On Friday, Wichita State lost the series’ first game in a high-scoring matchup, 13-8.
Tulane took a 4-2 lead in the first inning and the Shockers could never tie the game despite managing 12 hits. In the seventh inning, junior Derek Williams cut the score to 10-8 after a two-run home run, but two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth for Tulane decided the final score.
The teams combined for seven home runs during the game with freshman Kam Durnin hitting one and Williams hitting two for Wichita State. Freshman Tyler Dobbs earned his fourth loss of the season on the mound after giving up six runs on seven hits, striking out three batters in 3 ⅓ innings pitched.
Game two
Severe weather on Saturday forced a doubleheader for games two and three on Sunday. The Shockers won game two of the series and game one of the doubleheader, 6-3, in seven innings.
Redshirt junior Jordan Rogers homered in the first inning, giving Wichita State a 1-0 lead. The Shockers opened up a 5-0 lead in the third inning and never looked back after junior Mauricio Millan hit an RBI groundout and junior Josh Livingston hit a three-RBI home run.
Tulane scored a run in the fourth inning, freshman Lane Haworth hit a solo home run in the sixth and Tulane tacked on two more runs in the seventh to decide the final score. Senior Caden Favors improved to 6-4 this season after a six-inning, two-run, two-hit, four-strikeout start on the mound.
Game three
In game two of Sunday’s doubleheader, the series’ rubber match, Wichita State lost, 10-4.
Rogers hit a two-run home run in the third inning to give the Shockers a 2-0 lead. After giving up four runs in the fourth inning, two in the sixth and one in the eighth, Wichita State trailed, 7-2. During the Shockers’ half of the eighth inning, Livingston hit an RBI single and freshman Camden Johnson hit an RBI double, cutting the deficit to 7-4.
Tulane scored three more runs in the ninth inning to decide the final score and series. Wichita State managed nine hits during the game but left 13 runners on base. Freshman Tommy LaPour earned the loss on the mound, pitching five innings, giving up six runs on six hits and only striking out one batter.
Wichita State baseball’s next game is on Tuesday in Stillwater, Oklahoma, against rival Oklahoma State University. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
