Wichita State baseball kicked off its postseason run with a comfortable 8-2 win against the University of Alabama at Birmingham where the Shockers held a three-run lead for most of the game.

With the win on Tuesday morning, the fourth-seeded Shockers (30-27) moved into the winner’s bracket in the double-elimination American Athletic Conference championship tournament in Clearwater, Florida. Fifth seed UAB (26-28) will scrap in the loser’s bracket.

Aided by three walks and a UAB throwing error, Wichita State took a 3-0 lead in the second inning that the team wouldn’t relinquish.

UAB junior shortstop Gavin Lewis Jr. committed his second error of the game in the fourth inning, loading the bases and leading Wichita State to score another run. Lewis Jr. would end the game with three errors.

Wichita State senior Caden Favors delivered a strong start on the mound, keeping UAB scoreless for the first six innings before allowing a run and being pulled. Favors ended the game with 6 ⅓ innings pitched, securing seven strikeouts and allowing six hits.

After UAB cut the lead to 4-1 in the top of the seventh, junior Josh Livingston restored Wichita State’s momentum with a two-run homer. Later in the inning, senior Seth Stroh put the exclamation point on the win with a no-doubter two-run blast of his own.

Juniors Jack Mount and Hunter Holmes and senior Nate Adler all entered in relief and closed out the game, allowing one run in 2 ⅔ innings collectively.

Redshirt junior Jordan Rogers continued a hot streak at the plate with two hits and an RBI hit-by-pitch. Junior Mauricio Millan also had two hits with a double and two runs scored.

The Shockers will take on the tournament’s top seed, East Carolina University, in a second-round matchup on Thursday. ECU swept the Shockers in their only series this year. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.