Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. - Wichita State won the South Alabama Classic with a 15-10 win over host South Alabama.  The Shockers went 3-0 in the tourney and scored double-digit runs in each game.

Tournament MVP Preston Springer went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a home run, while Clint McKeever went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a home run.

Starter Charlie Lowell earned the win in a predetermined split.  He went four innings and gave up three runs on six hits with one strikeout.

Travis Bennett started his birthday in a big way with a two-run two-out double to left centerfield in the top of the first inning.  With two outs, South Alabama starter Jarrett Bailey walked Preston Springer and Clint McKeever in front of Bennett.

Shocker starter Charlie Lowell flirted with danger in the first inning, but allowed just one run.  He started the inning with back-to-back walks, but third baseman Erik Harbutz made a great defensive play to get the lead runner on a ground ball.  With runners on first and second, Lowell got Jake Overstreet to fly out to center for the second out, but Sean Laird drove in a run with a hard hit single to centerfield to cut the WSU lead to 2-1.  Lowell escaped the inning with a groundout to second base.

Cody Lassley led off the second inning with his first home run of the year to give the Shocks a 3-1 lead.  Bailey escaped the inning with just the one run despite a single, hit batsmen and two stolen bases.

McKeever led off the third with a sharp single to centerfield.  Bennett laced a double down the right field line to advance McKeever to third and Lassley drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field to give WSU a 4-1 lead.

The Shockers tacked on five more runs in the fourth inning highlighted by a two-run home run by Springer and doubles from Will Baez and Ryan Jones.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Jaguars cut the lead to 9-3 with a couple of runs.  Overstreet led off the inning with a walk and Laird followed with a single.  With one out, Taylor White and Brad Hammoc hit back-to-back singles to drive in both runs off Lowell.

The Jaguars scored two more in the sixth off of Shocker reliever Grant Muncrief to pull within 9-5, but the Shockers added a run in the seventh after a leadoff double by Kevin Hall and a sac fly by Baez to go up 10-5.

USA answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Shocks got it back in the eighth with another home run by Lassley to make the score 11-6.

The Shockers tacked on four more runs in the ninth highlighted by a three-run home run by McKeever for a 15-6 lead. 

The Jaguars tried to rally in the ninth with four runs of their own, but WSU held on to win 15-10.

The Shockers are next in action on Tue., March 2 when they open at home with North Dakota.  First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

-Wichita State-