In front of a crowd made up of mostly USD 259 students on a field trip, Wichita State’s baseball team run-ruled cross-town Newman University in seven innings, 14-2, on Tuesday morning.
“(This) was my third kids’ game,” said junior Jaden Gustafson, a Wichita native. “It’s always a fun game. They always bring energy to these early morning games.”
With the win, the Shockers’ record rose to 12-20, while Newman, a Division II school, fell to 8-27 on the season.
In the first inning, Gustafson started a three-run inning for WSU with a single to left field.
Gustafson continued a hot streak in the batter’s box. Since failing to record a hit during a loss at Oklahoma State University late last month, he’s hit 12-25, including his first collegiate home run. Gustafson has also extended a multi-hit streak to three games with the win on Tuesday.
“Me and my coaches have been working on an approach and some different things in my swing the past few weeks that I’m finally starting to get comfortable with,” Gustafson said. “So I’m just getting my best swings off right now.”
Senior Jordan Rogers followed the RBI single with a two-run home run to left field.
“I got to two strikes and I was trying to just simplify everything,” Rogers said. “There’s somebody on base. I just tried to put the ball in play. I saw it (the pitch) up and I put a good swing on it.”
Sophomore Jeremiah Arnett started the game and pitched two no-hit innings. WSU head coach Brian Green wanted to keep Arnett in the game but took him out to keep him fresh for the weekend.
The Shockers added three more runs in the second inning. Two of the runs were scored on wild pitches and the other one was scored on a Gustafson single. Gustafson won a 10-pitch battle to get the RBI and extend his multi-hit streak.
“(My mindset) was just not to go down, get the run and do a job for my team,” Gustafson said. “That’s always my mindset when I get the two strikes just try not to go down and be the hardest at-bat possible.”
The Shockers added another run in the third with another RBI from Gustafson on a sacrifice line out.
In the fourth, senior Josh Livingston hit his seventh home run of the year and senior Cole Dillon singled to right field to push the Shockers’ lead to double digits, 10-0.
The Shockers kept pouring it on in the fifth inning, scoring three more runs.
In the sixth inning, the Shockers’ offense was stopped for the first time, scoring zero runs. Newman got on the board, scoring two unearned runs in the seventh. However, the rally wasn’t enough as the game was ended due to the run rule after the seventh.
In the game, Wichita State batters were plunked a season-high five times.
Green hopes to keep the kids’ game a continuing tradition in the future.
“I’d like to do it every year,” Green said. “Whether it’s Friends or Newman but an in-city game. I think there’s a lot of value to it.”
Wichita State will play the University of Texas at San Antonio in a series over the weekend. The first pitch against the Roadrunners is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 11, at Eck Stadium.
