WICHITA, Kan. -- Jaden Gustafson went 4-for-5 with a career-high six RBI as Wichita State knocked off Oral Roberts 13-9 on Tuesday night at Eck Stadium.
The win is Wichita State's first against a D1 opponent in a midweek game this season.
The Shockers (17-34) used a two-out barrage to build a quick 9-0 lead, then had to hang on as Oral Roberts (30-20) mounted a furious comeback. After trading zeroes in the first inning, WSU exploded for seven two-out runs against Golden Eagles starter Jack Hill (3-1).
Kaleb Duncan and
Camden Johnson each drove in a pair to make it 4-0, followed by a ringing double from
Jordan Rogers that scored Johnson.
Josh Livingston capped the flurry with a long two-run homer to right for a 7-0 advantage.
Gustafson kept up the onslaught in the fourth with a two-run single, stretching the lead to 9-0.
Wichita State got four excellent innings from
Caleb Anderson,
Arnad Mulamekic (1-2) and
Nate Langbehn, but ran into trouble in the fifth. Five walks and three wild pitches helped open the door for five ORU runs, cutting Wichita State's lead to 9-5. Solo homers in the sixth and seventh trimmed further into the deficit, pulling the Golden Eagles to within 10-7 sandwiched around a Gustafson RBI double.
The Golden Eagles had a chance to tie or take the lead in the eighth, scoring twice and putting the go-ahead run on base before
Jack Mount escaped the jam with a bouncer back to the mound. Gustafson finally provided some breathing room in the bottom of the inning with a line drive three-run homer to center to finish off his career day.
Mount breezed through a 1-2-3 ninth to polish off the win and earn his first career save.
WSU worked nine walks for a second consecutive game, led by three from
Zeb Henry.
Cole Dillon extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a pair of hits, a total matched by Livingston and Duncan.
The Shockers conclude the regular season with a three-game series against Memphis beginning on Thursday night. First pitch of the series opener from Eck Stadium is scheduled for 6:00 pm CT.
