LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Wichita State got a strong start from
Jace Miner and four scoreless innings from the bullpen to salvage the series finale against McNeese with a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Joe Miller Ballpark.
Miner (1-0) did not allow a hit for the first four innings and exited after 5.0 frames, allowing two runs while striking out three and walking two. The combination of
Arnad Mulamekic,
Karsen Richard and
Nick Potter struck ouf six over the final 4.0 innings, holding the Cowboys (2-1) to just two hits the rest of the way. Richard and Potter each delivered crucial pitches late in the game; in the eighth, McNeese loaded the bases with one out against Mulamekic before Richard struck out consecutive hitters to blunt the rally, then in the ninth the Cowboys again put three on base with one out but Potter fanned the next two to secure his first career save.
The late bullpen heroics made an early lead stand up, as the Shockers scored four times in the first innings.
Camden Johnson led off the contest with a solo home run on the game's first pitch, Wichita State's first game-opening home run since Chuck Ingram did so against Tulane on April 14, 2023. Then in the second inning, the Shockers (1-2) put three more runs on the board, getting a two-run triple from
Cole Dillon and a run-scoring single from Johnson for a 4-0 lead.
Miner got the Shockers through the fifth with the lead, though McNeese did strike for a pair of runs in the fifth via a Connor Schneider RBI groundout and a Conner Westenburg RBI single. Wichita State got those runs back in the top of the eighth, putting together a two-out rally that started with the bases empty.
Kam Durnin and
Ryan Callahan singled to put two runners on base, then Dillon and
Jordan Black were hit by pitches to force in a run. Johnson then battled his way to a walk that plated the final run of the game for the Shockers.
Johnson finished the series with six hits and seven RBI, recording two hits in each of the three contests.
Jordan Rogers and
Josh Livingston each added a pair of hits for the Shockers, who out-hit McNeese, 9-5, and did not commit an error.
Jake Blackwell (0-1) took the loss for McNeese, allowing four hits and four runs over 5.0 innings while striking out six and walking one.
Wichita State is back in action on Thursday at Hawaii, the first of five games over five days in Honolulu. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 10:35 pm CT.
