Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

OMAHA, Neb.- Wichita State won the conference series over Creighton with 11-3 and 3-2 wins Sunday afternoon.

Game One

Tyler Weber and Kenny Williams, Jr., each contributed three RBI with two base hits.  Ryan Jones also had two hits while scoring five runs and stealing three bases.

Aaron Shafer went eight innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.  Khol Nanney closed the final inning after giving up back-to-back hits to start the frame.  Nanney got a double play from Darin Ruf for two quick outs and another ground ball sealed the game.

Creighton took an early lead with one run in the bottom of the first inning.  Robbie Knight hit an 0-2 pitch for a base hit and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Elliot Soto.  A pair of singles from Ruf and Steve Winkelmann brought the run home before a double play ended the inning.

Wichita State knotted it in the third before taking the lead they would never give up.  Jones reached second on a single and throwing error by pitcher Zak Moore.  Weber stroked a two-out double into the right-center gap, trading places with Jones to score one.

Jones was on board with a fielder's choice in the fifth and Conor Gillaspie was intentionally walked to put two on.  A double steal by the runners allowed both to score on Weber's single up the middle, giving WSU the 3-1 lead. 

Doubles from Winkelmann and T.J. Roemmich plus a sacrifice bunt by Vicente Cafaro cut the Shockers' lead to one as Winkelmann scored in the bottom of the sixth.

Wichita State continued to pile on runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth.  Jones doubled to lead off the seventh and the bases were loaded with walks to Weber and Dusty Coleman.  Williams has a two-run double in the gap and Kyle Sisney used a sacrifice fly to bring in Coleman and extend the score, 6-2.

Ruf tripled in Brett Mieras who had been hit by a pitch in the bottom half on the inning.

Costly lead off walks to Andy Dirks and Jones started the eighth.  Gillaspie reached on a fielder's choice and a misplayed ball by the second baseman made all runners safe, with Dirks crossing home and runners left at first and third.  Bob Lackovic took over on the mound for Jack Vanleur and sat down the first two batters on strikes.  Jones and Gillaspie again completed a double steal which plated a run.  Gillaspie came home on a single by Williams, giving Wichita State a six-run lead.

Dirks and Jones were on the corner bags in the ninth as a balk pushed Dirks home and a Gillaspie double scored Jones.

Game Two

Game two started much like the first, as Creighton took a 1-0 lead after the first inning.  Robbie Knight drew a lead-off walk and back-to-back singles by Darin Ruf and Steve Winkelmann scored the runner.

The Bluejays manufactured a run in the fourth with a Winkelmann single, a sacrifice bunt by T.J. Roemmich and an RBI single that bounced past second base from Joe Servais.

Creighton miscues in the top of the sixth put Wichita State on the board and allowed the Shockers to tie it up at 2-2.  With two outs, Conor Gillaspie reached on an error as a groundball slid through shortstop Elliot Soto's legs.  Four-straight balls put Tyler Weber aboard with a walk and the bases were loaded as Ryan Engrav was hit by a pitch.  Kenny Williams, Jr., the only Shocker with any hits at that point in the game, delivered his second single of the game to plate Gillaspie.  Dusty Coleman hit a routine grounder to second base, but Michael Lam bobbled the play and all runners were safe as a run scored.

Wichita State managed a run in the eighth, again in large part to Creighton errors.  Reliever Kevin Dooley had struck out his first three hitters, coming in for the last out in the seventh, but an infield single, deep in the hole at short by Coleman extended the eighth.  Tyler Hill shot a single to left field and Brett Mieras had to give chase to the ball after misplaying it on an error.  Hill rounded all the way to third and Dirks gave the lead, motoring all the way home.

The Shockers stay on the road, taking on Nebraska Tuesday night in Lincoln, Neb.  The game will be telecast live at 6:35 on Kansas Now 22.

-Wichita State-