Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CARBONDALE, Ill.- Wichita State (30-8, 10-2) went 2-0 on the day to complete the sweep of Southern Illinois (23-12, 4-5) by defeating the Salukis 8-4 in game one before a 19-9 run rule in game two.

 

GAME ONE

 

Southern Illinois led most of the way, but Wichita State came back in late innings to down the Salukis, 8-4, in game one.

 

It was a rocky start for Aaron Shafer, giving up three consecutive singles that scored one in the first inning. With one out, Aaron Roberts sent an 0-2 pitch to the right-center gap. Adam Hills lined one to right field and Mark Kelly pushed one through the hole at third and short to plate Roberts.

 

Shafer lasted 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. The sophomore struck out three and walked four. Senior Noah Booth took over for 3.2 scoreless innings and improved to 5-1 on the year, giving up three hits and striking out four. Southern Illinois starter Cody Adams was tagged with the loss, falling to 8-2. Adams went 6.2 innings, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with seven strikeouts.

 

The bottom half of the fifth inning led off with a Roberts single, a walk to Hills and an RBI hit to shallow left field from Kelly. Dean Cademartori moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt and gave the Shockers their first out. Tyler Choate brought both runners home with a line drive up the middle to make it 4-0.

 

Wichita State had scattered four hits and two walks throughout the first five innings, but didn't string anything together until the sixth. Conor Gillaspie doubled to start the inning and Danny Jackson was hit by a pitch to put two on board for a Josh Workman three-run homerun to right field that brought the Shockers within one.

 

With two outs in the seventh, Matt Brown and Gillaspie pounded out back-to-back singles. While Gillaspie was at the plate, Brown stole second, allowing him to score and tie the game on Gillaspie's hit. An error by the Saluki shortstop allowed Jackson to reach and extended the inning. A walk to Workman loaded the bases for an RBI single from Tyler Weber that plated two, putting WSU ahead 6-4.

 

Noah Booth entered on the mound in the sixth with runners at first and second and one out. The junior struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam and finished the last three innings, scattering three hits and earning the win.

 

The Shockers added insurance with two more runs in the eighth. Dusty Coleman manufactured a run by drawing a walk, stealing second, advancing to third on a balk and scoring on a wild pitch. Gillaspie hit one off the wall in right field for a triple that scored Dirks who was on board with a walk.

 

Gillaspie led offensively, going 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. Sublett, Brown and Weber each ended with two hits apiece, and Weber contributed two RBI.

 

SIU's Mark Kelly was 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Roberts and Hills added two hits each and a combined three runs.

 

GAME TWO

 

An 11-run sixth inning powered Wichita State past Southern Illinois, 19-9, as the Shockers completed a sweep of the day and the weekend in a seven inning run rule.

 

Tyler Weber's solo homerun sparked Wichita State's offense as the Shockers scored 11 runs off of 10 hits in the sixth inning. Four doubles highlighted the inning. Back-to-back doubles from Damon Sublett and Dusty Coleman evened the score at six. Matt Brown's single up the middle gave the Shockers their first lead.

 

Josh Workman collected an RBI by drawing a bases loaded walk and Tyler Hill, Sublett and Coleman all had RBI singles in the mix. Weber added two more RBI with a double off the left-center wall, just shy of his second homerun of the inning. The Shockers left the Salukis stunned, taking over the game, 14-6. Five Saluki pitchers made appearances in the inning.

 

 WSU wasn't done, adding five more runs in the seventh to put the run rule in place. Conor Gillaspie doubled in Danny Jackson, who was on with a single in the right-center gap. Jackson, a senior first baseman, was hitless in game one, but game back to collect a career high in hits, going a perfect 4-for-4 and reached base five times with a hit by pitch.

 

An Andy Dirks ground ball plated Gillaspie and a single from Hill brought in Dirks. Sublett then capped the inning with his third homerun of the year, a two run shot over right field. Gillaspie's run gave the Shockers the 10-run lead, and Wichita State ended the inning ahead, 19-6.

 

It was a good thing the Shockers collected those extra runs, as the Salukis tried to make it interesting in the bottom half. Southern Illinois scored three runs before WSU got the three outs it needed to complete the run rule.

 

Walks to Kevin Koski and Chris Engele and a booted ball by Harrison Dreiling loaded the bases for closer Damon Sublett. The junior struck out Mark Kelly before hitting two batters, allowing two runs to cross. The second run was earned, giving Sublett the first earned run of his career. Noah Krol took over and followed suit with his first batter, plunking Tyler Lairson to push across another run before striking out the last two batters.

 

Southern Illinois once again took the early lead, scoring four in the first inning off of starter Rob Musgrave. Kevin Koski led off with a line drive to left field and Aaron Roberts drew a walk. The Shockers managed two outs, but Scott Elmendorf drove one to center field for a single that crossed one. Chris Crank then fired one off the scoreboard in right field for a three-run homerun.

 

WSU threatened with runners in scoring position in both the second and third but couldn't push anything across.

 

Musgrave settled down for the next three innings, giving up just one hit and retiring the Salukis in order in the second and fourth, striking out the side in the fourth. 

 

The Shockers cut the lead to within one during the fifth inning. Blake Hurlbutt led off with a line drive to left field, Damon Sublett followed with a walk and Dusty Coleman doubled off the top of the right field fence to plate one. Sublett scored on a ground out from Matt Brown and a sacrifice fly by Conor Gillaspie crossed Coleman to make it 4-3.

 

The Salukis answered immediately, however, adding two runs in the bottom half. Roberts hit his fourth single of the day, placing the ball in shallow right field. Adam Hills drew walk and Mark Kelly brought the runs in with a double to center field.

 

Musgrave allowed six earned runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. Junior Kyle Touchatt earned his first win of the season, going 1.1 scoreless innings and striking out three of the five batters he faced. Kyle Catto fell to 1-1 for the Salukis, allowing three earned runs on three hits in only 0.1 inning of work.

 

Sublett went 4-for-5 with four runs and four RBI. Coleman had a career-high four hits with two runs and three RBI. Koski and Roberts were the only SIU batters with multiple hits.

 

Wichita State is back in action this week, taking on Oral Roberts on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Wichita.

-Wichita State-