The last time the two teams played, East Carolina University (ECU) swept Wichita State baseball by a combined 28-15 score over three games in April.
On Thursday afternoon, ECU faced a much stronger Wichita State team as the Shockers won 14-4 in the American Athletic Conference championship tournament to advance to the semifinals.
The win over the top-seeded Pirates moved the Shockers to 31-27 on the season. Wichita State has won nine of its last 10 games. ECU (41-14) now faces elimination in the AAC tournament.
Wichita State head coach Brian Green said the team’s dugout has “bonkers” good energy right now.
“This is my third year-one in terms of a new program, and I’ve never been around a group of guys committed to culture and team first in year one the way this one is,” Green said. “It’s been a really fun group to coach and it’s been a really fun May.”
The Shockers knocked the ECU pitcher out of the game in the first inning by scoring a run on a single from sophomore Jaden Gustafson and loading the bases. A leaping two-out catch from Pirate junior outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart prevented more damage, and ECU retook the lead in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer.
After another ECU homer in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead, the Shockers offense woke up in the sixth. Wichita State rallied to score a run and load the bases and freshman Lane Haworth cleared the basepaths with a double into left field, giving the Shockers the lead back, 5-3.
Junior Josh Livingston capped off the rally with a three-run homer to extend the Wichita State lead to five runs. In the next inning, Livingston provided some more offensive insurance with a grand slam to put the Shockers up 12-3.
Livingston ended the day with seven RBIs, a career-high, along with his first ever multi-homer game.
“(Livingston) went through a stretch there in April where he didn’t play a lot,” Green said. “And he got some confidence coming off the bench and all of a sudden it’s four or five at-bats were of quality off the bench. We give him a start and we can’t get him out of there.”
Wichita State put an exclamation point up offensively with two additional runs in the ninth before ECU tacked on a consolation run in the bottom of the inning.
The Pirates rolled out eight pitchers to the mound in the game; meanwhile, Wichita State freshman starter Tommy LaPour went 6 ⅔ innings, giving up three runs. All nine Shocker batters reached base, with Livingston, Gustafson, senior Seth Stroh and freshman Kam Durnin recording multi-hit games.
Wichita State earns a rest day before competing on Saturday morning against the winner of Friday’s ECU vs. Rice University game. A win in that matchup would move the Shockers to the AAC championship; a loss would necessitate a rematch game later the same day. The first pitch of the opener is scheduled for 8 a.m.
