Box Score

WICHITA,Kan.- Wichita State's Ryan Jones hit his second homer of the game, scoring two in the eighth inning to force a 19-8 run-rule against Missouri State.

A seven-run WSU eighth was capped by Jones's homerun, and the last Shocker to hit a walk-off run-rule homer was Drew Moffitt in 2002 against Bradley.  
Tyler Weber was struck by a pitch and Dusty Coleman drew a walk to start the big inning and a double, placed out of reach in shallow left field by Josh Workman drove in one.  Clinton McKeever singled to bring home Weber and left runners on the corners for a sacrifice fly by Tyler Hill that allowed Workman to score.  Kenny Williams, Jr., drove in two with a double in the left-center gap, and an Andy Dirks single plated run five.  Jones then delivered his second homerun of the game and of the season to cut the game short with the 19-8 run-rule.

Shocker miscues in the top of the first allowed two MSU runners, but Ben Woodbury was erased on a double play hit by Nolan Keane for two quick outs.  Wichita State's Aaron Shafer got Brayden Drake on strikes to end the inning and strand the runner at third.

Wichita State put up three runs in the bottom of the second and never trailed, although the Bears gave chase the entire game.  Coleman was on board with four-straight balls in the bottom of the second.  Workman laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner over, but got on board as pitcher Buddy Baumann's throw pulled the first baseman off the bag.  Hill hit an infield single as no one was covering first on the ground ball.  Coleman reached home on a wild pitch during the next at bat.  A Dirks double ripped into the left-center gap plated two, giving the Shockers a 3-0 lead.

The Bears came in within one in the top of the third with a double and three consecutive base hits.  Curt Courtwright sparked the action with a double that bounced off the left-center wall.  With two down, Woodbury hit a slow rolling ground ball to the infield.  The senior's speed allowed him to safely reach first and the hit scored Courtwright.  Keane singled to the right-center gap and a Drake hit through the right side brought home Woodbury, cutting the lead to 3-2.

WSU got one back in the bottom half as Conor Gillaspie singled up the middle, moved to second on a wild Baumann pitch and scored with a Workman single poked through the left side.

The Bears kept at it, crossing a walk to Courtwright with a sacrifice fly by Keane, making it 4-3 through five innings.

Workman bunted for a single to lead off the bottom of the sixth and McKeever followed it up with his first career homerun to give the Shockers a three-run lead.  Williams was on board with a single for the second homerun of the inning, a left field shot by Dirks, his fourth of the year.  The inning continued as Jones doubled and came home on a rocket by Gillaspie that sent the first baseman diving.  Fly balls ended the frame, but the Shockers had put a gap in the score, 9-3.

MSU again rallied in the next half, keeping the game close with a five-run inning.  With two on board as Courtwright singled and a play was not made on Chris Playter's fielder's choice, three consecutive singles crossed two runs and a wild pitch scored a third.  Ben Carlson was plunked by a pitch to load the bases and reliever Logan Hoch walked in a run with a base-on-balls to Ryan Mantle.  Khol Nanney took over on the mound and forced a double play, although a run was allowed to score.  Nanney got the next hitter to ground out, ending the damage as the Bears were again within one, 9-8.

Jones put some distance between the score with homerun number one, a three-run shot off the scoreboard in left field, before the eighth inning offense finished off the game.

The series-decider will be played Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

-Wichita State-