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Shocks Rally Past BYU, 6-5

3/2/2009 6:00:00 PM

Box Score WICHITA -- Cody Lassley capped a ninth-inning rally with the game winning two-RBI double as Wichita State rallied past BYU for a 6-5 win Monday afternoon in front of 2,744 fans at chilly Eck Stadium.

Clint McKeever and Ryan Jones each extended their hitting streaks in the Shocker win. With a first-inning single, McKeever extended his streak to 15-consecutive games with a hit, while Ryan Jones waited until the fifth inning to extend his streak to 11 games. McKeever finished three-for-four in the game, while Jones was two-for-four at the plate.

The visiting Cougars struck first, taking a 1-0 lead when Andrew Law, who reached base on a fielder's choice, scored on an RBI single by Alex Wolfe. The Shockers threatened in their half of the second inning, putting runners on first and second with two outs thanks to back-to-back singles by Chris O'Brien and Clint McKeever, but O'Brien was thrown out at the plate after trying to score on a Taylor Brown single. After two innings, BYU held a 1-0 advantage.

After retiring three-straight Cougars, Wichita State tied the game at 1-1 when Andrew Letourneau scored on a Kevin Hall single up the middle, but that's all the Shockers could muster in the third inning.

BYU's bats started to heat up in the fourth. After watching Shocker freshman Brian Flynn mow down the first two batters of the inning, the Cougars notched back-to-back hits following a walk. J.T. Musso cashed in for the Cougars, sending a Flynn pitch sailing over the left field wall, scoring himself and both runners, giving BYU a 5-1 edge and ending Flynn's night in the process. Sophomore Grant Muncrief replaced Flynn, and struck out BYU's Andrew Law to end the inning.

Clint McKeever started the Shocker fourth with a bang, literally, sending the first pitch he saw from Cougar starter Nathan Bunch out of the park for a one-run long ball, bringing the Shockers back to within three, 5-2. Bunch retired the next three Shocker batters, and BYU held a 5-2 advantage after four innings.

Josh Rosecrans took advantage of shaky pitching by BYU sophomore Shawn Hardesty, and made another dent in the Cougar lead in the sixth inning. After putting a ball through the hole in the left side of the infield, Rosecrans moved to send on a passed ball, then moved to third on a Letourneau ground out, before scoring on a wild pitch to bring the black-clad Shockers to within two, 5-3.

Rosecrans was on the scene once again in the eighth, picking up an RBI when he grounded out to move O'Brien, who singled to start the inning, home from third. The run brought WSU to within one with just one inning remaining, 5-4.

Wichita State refused to go down without a fight. After Kevin Hall struck out to start the inning, Will Baez and Ryan Jones notched back-to-back singles, putting the potential winning run on first base with just one out, and forcing BYU coach Vance Law to bring in the hard-throwing right arm of Jeremy Toole. Toole gave Lassley four pitches, three of which registered better than 90 mph, but Lassley sent Toole's fifth offering to the right-centerfield gap, and Shocker skipper Gene Stephenson gave Baez and Jones the green light to go home. Baez scores easily, and Jones beat out a play at the plate by a foot.

Muncrief posted 5.1 scoreless innings in relief of Flynn, striking out five while walking just three. The sophomore gave up just one run while picking up his first win of the season. BYU's Jake Wortham was saddled with the loss, and dropps to 0-2 on the season.

The win improves WSU's record to 6-1 on the young season, and drops BYU to 3-6. The same two teams will square off Tuesday afternoon in a 2 p.m. tilt at Eck Stadium.

-Wichita State-
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