Wichita State’s pitching staff delivered one of its most-dominant performances of the season against Florida Atlantic on Sunday at Eck Stadium. 

In their home finale, the Shockers allowed only one run, which was unearned, and struck out nine batters in an important conference victory.

This superb showing on the mound helped Wichita State (27-25, 11-13 American) defeat the Owls (27-24, 12-12) by a 4-1 score, avoiding the series sweep and snapping a six-game losing streak. The Shockers, on Senior Day, bounced back after losing 4-2 on Friday night and 9-7 on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought we just brought it today,” coach Brian Green said. “Our backs were really against the wall. (We) had to win, and we found a way to just grind one out. Really proud of the guys.”

Junior right-hander Johnny Nuanez (5-2) started for the Shockers on the mound and threw five shutdown innings en route to earning the win. He gave up just two hits and one unearned run while striking out five hitters.

“He’s just tough,” Green said of Nuanez. “We love giving him the ball. He’s so competitive.”

Nuanez, a transfer from Grossmont College in California, set the tone early by recording two straight 1-2-3 innings to begin the game. 

His most impressive frame, however, came in the top of the fourth when he walked the first two hitters he faced. With two on and no outs, he recovered with a strikeout, fielder’s choice and fly out to escape the inning without allowing a run and preserve Wichita State’s 3-0 lead.

“I just didn’t warm up properly that inning, but I felt good,” Nuanez said. “I know my stuff’s always going to play, so I just had to throw a strike and get my mind back into it.”

Junior lefty Reese Kortum relieved Nuanez in the sixth and didn’t disappoint, contributing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while striking out four. 

“Best outing of the year for Reese,” Green said. “We were really down in the bullpen with arms, and that’s the biggest step up of the year for us. Incredible effort by Reese Kortum.”

Going into the matchup on Sunday, Kortum had walked seven hitters in his last three appearances on the mound, so he made it a priority to attack the strike zone against Florida Atlantic.

“My last couple outings, my walk numbers have been creeping up on me,” Kortum said. “So, me and coach (Anthony) Claggett watched some video, saw a little mechanical issue and adjusted, and (I) got back into the zone consistently.”

Brady Pacha, a graduate right-handed closer, came in for Kortum in the ninth with two runners on base, two outs and a 4-1 lead. Pacha walked his first hitter to load the bases, but forced a ground out to cap WSU’s victory and earn his sixth save of the season.

Senior outfielder Jacob Gutierrez had the most productive game at the plate for the Shockers, notching three hits, including a two-out RBI single to right field that put Wichita State up 4-1 in the fifth inning. This was his first multi-hit contest since April 12 at UAB when Gutierrez recorded three hits in Wichita State’s huge series win.

“That’s the Gut (Gutierrez) that we know,” Green said. “Middle of the field, opposite side, quality at bats. Him and Kortum were the stars of the game, and they brought us a big win when we needed it.”

A senior from El Paso, Gutierrez raised his batting average to .348, second-best on the team. 

“I was just trying to hit it hard today, and it worked out,” he said. 

Similar to Sunday’s game, the series opener on Friday night was a low-scoring pitchers’ duel. Matthew Cuccias, a junior right-hander, gave the Shockers a quality start, scattering three hits and two unearned runs along with eight strikeouts in seven innings during the 4-2 setback. 

Dominant for most of the season, Pacha (3-2) took the loss after giving up a pair of runs in the final two innings. Senior left fielder Jaden Gustafson and junior first baseman Nolan Ganter finished the game with two hits each.

Gustafson, following a strong performance in the opener, was also impactful in the Game 2 loss. The Wichita native had three hits, including a grand slam that evened the game at 4-4 in the fourth inning. 

Wichita State now has one weekend left in the regular season — a conference series against South Florida starting at 5:35 p.m. Thursday in Tampa.

The Shockers are battling for a top-four finish in the American, which would earn them a one-game bye in the conference tournament.

“We just had our backs against the wall, and we showed we can perform in that arena, that environment,” Green said. “Hopefully, we can carry some momentum into Tampa.”