Box Score WICHITA, Kan.- Wichita State trailed or tied Arkansas Pine Bluff the entire game until Tyler Grimes lined a single up the middle to drive in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Shockers a 5-4 win to take the series Wednesday afternoon at Eck Stadium.

Looking to win its third series of the season, UAPB got on the board in the second Lloyd Burchett used a gusty north wind to his advantage. Burchett hit a lazy fly ball that on a normal day would be an easy play for left fielder Mitch Caster. Caster gave chase and dove near the foul line but was unable to come up with catch while Burchett landed on second with a double. Ernest Horton gave the Golden Lions a 1-0 lead with an RBI single up the middle to score Burchett.

The Shockers answered in the bottom half of the inning. This time it was Jerome McCollum in right field who unsuccessfully dove after a ball hit by Chris O'Brien. The ball landed short of McCollum's outstretched glove and rolled all the way to the wall. O'Brien trucked to third for his first career triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cody Lassley.

McCollum atoned for his missed dive in the third, leading off with a single to right-center. While stealing second the ball got away from second baseman Taylor Brown allowing McCollum to move to third. Gvona Turner walked and stole second. As Lassley threw to second, McCollum broke for home and crossed the plate safely for a 2-1 lead. Two batters later with Turner on third, Shocker pitcher Cameron Maldonado was called for a balk, allowing Turner to score for a 3-1 UAPB advantage.

Again WSU was able to match the Golden Lions in the bottom of the inning, tying the score at three. Andrew Letourneau led off the inning with a single deep in the hole at short and moved to third on Brown's sixth double of the season. Golden Lions starter Joe Cook's 2-0 pitch got away from catcher Barry McDonley. Letourneau broke for home and slid in ahead of Cook's tag to cut the deficit to one. After moving to third on Cook's wild pitch, Brown scored on a Ryan Jones sacrifice fly to tie the score.

Remington Johnson came in to relieve Maldonado for his first career appearance. Entering with a runner on first, Johnson struck out three of the first four batters he faced, getting Sean Prater and McCollum down on strikes before hitting McDonley and striking out Turner to end the inning. Johnson pitched three innings leaving with a runner on second base, in favor of Chance Sossamon.

Sossamon was unable to keep UAPB off the board as Burchett lined an RBI single up the middle to score Turner, giving the Golden Lions their third lead of the game, 4-3.

The Shockers nearly tied the game in the eighth. With one out Ryan Jones crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall in right, but the north wind helped push the ball just foul for a long strike one. Jones lined the next pitch up the middle for a single. Clint McKeever singled off the pitcher and O'Brien was walked intentionally to load the bases with just one out. But Zac Varnell came in to relieve Blake Cochran and got Lassley to foul out and McKeever was forced out at third on a grounder off the bat of Mitch Caster to end the inning.

WSU had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth and Josh Rosecrans got the offense rolling with a hot shot to right. Rosecrans was lifted in favor of pinch runner Taylor Gilmore and moved to second on a perfectly placed bunt by pinch hitter Bret Bascue. Brown followed with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at four and moved to second as center fielder Trey Austin tried to gun down Gilmore at home. Still with just one out, Grimes took a 1-0 pitch up the middle to drive in the game-winning and series clinching run.

Sossamon earned his first collegiate win by pitching 2.2 innings in relief while allowing just two hits and striking out five. Varnell took the loss for UAPB to fall to 1-1 on the season.

The Shockers are back in action March 20-22 as the Dirtbags of Long Beach State visit Eck Stadium for a three-game series. First pitch for Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m.