Box Score

WICHITA, Kan.- Wichita State (20-3) topped North Dakota State, 9-5, Sunday afternoon and picked up its fourth win of the weekend.

Reliever Khol Nanney improved to 3-0, earning the win with three perfect innings and two strikeouts.

Clinton McKeever went 3-for-5 with two runs as the designated hitter. Tyler Hill and Andy Dirks ended with two hits and one run each. Dirks contributed three RBI, while Hill added two.

Starter Justin Kemp was tagged with three earned runs in four innings on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Andy Womack closed the final two innings, giving up two unearned runs and striking out two.

North Dakota State took a lead for the first time in four games with three runs in the second inning.  Mike Germain was hit by a Kemp pitch and Billy Gazich drove a ball to deep left-center field for a double and an RBI.  Ricky Hefflinger singled deep to the shortstop's right  and a double off the left field wall by Kole Zimmerman scored two, giving the Bison a 3-0 advantage.  

North Dakota State only had one hit in the next six innings as Wichita State chipped away at the lead.  The Shockers got on the board in the bottom of the fifth after a single by Kenny Williams, Jr., was brought home with a Dirks double down the left field line.  However three-straight outs stranded the runner at second and left the Bison with a 3-1 lead.

Wichita State put up four runs in the sixth to gain a lead they would not relinquish.  Tyler Weber drew a lead off walk and McKeever had a shot off of third baseman Eric Nutzhorn for a single.  Tyler Hill took one back up the middle for a hit to load the bases.  Starter Matt Bowar walked in a run before reliever Shane Bushland took over on the mound.  Williams was on board with the walk and picked up an RBI on the play.   Dirks poked Bushland's first pitch through the right side for a single that scored McKeever and Hill.  The remaining runners moved up to second and third on the throw to home by right fielder Sebastian Miles.  Ryan Jones grounded out to second, but it was enough to allow a speedy Williams to score from third and put WSU up, 5-3.

The Shockers kept at it, scoring two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings.  With two outs in the seventh, McKeever doubled in Weber who had worked a full count for a walk.  Hill traded places with McKeever on a double of his own, hit into the left-center gap.

Dirks was on board in the eighth on four-straight balls and a walk to Jones on a wild pitch followed, allowing Dirks to reach third and signaling the end of reliever Chad Berg's short appearance.  Conor Gillaspie fired one over the right fielder's head for a double and RBI.  The bases were full of Shockers once again as Dusty Coleman was hit by a pitch.  A sacrifice fly by Weber pushed home Jones, making it 9-3 after eight innings.

The Bison took advantage of Shocker miscues in the top of the ninth, scoring two runs in large part to two WSU errors.  Kenny Beese reached on a misplayed grounder by Gillaspie and David Williams followed with a single to right field.  Chris Paterson hit in one run with a single to shallow center field and Coleman over-ran the ball allowing a second run to score.  WSU hung on as Hefflinger flied out to left field, ending the game with a 9-5 Shocker victory.

Wichita State is back in action Tuesday, April 1, as the Shockers travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on the Kansas Jayhawks at 7 p.m. 

-Wichita State-