CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Down to their final three outs and trailing 2-1, Wichita State scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to stun Florida Atlantic and advance in the American Conference Championship with a 3-2 win on Wednesday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark.
The Shockers (29-27) advance to take on #3 seed Rice at 12:00 pm CT on Thursday. WSU has now advanced to the double-elimination portion of the bracket.
Wichita State was 0-25 when trailing after eight innings this season before putting together their season-saving rally. It began with some good fortune, as
Kaleb Duncan's pop fly to right field was lost in the sun for a leadoff double. After a strikeout,
Jacob Gutierrez came off the bench to rifle a base hit into center field, scoring Duncan to tie the game at 2-2 and sending Gutierrez to second on the throw home. Another strikeout left the game in the hands of
Jaden Gustafson, who poked a base hit through the left side of the infield to score pinch-runner
Owen Rush and give WSU their first lead of the game, 3-2.
Johnny Nuanez (6-2) who had worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning, stayed on to record the final three outs. He issued a two-out walk to put the potential tying run aboard but fanned FAU's Brett Patten to end the game.
Shocker pitchers allowed just three hits on the day. Starter
Matthew Cuccias lasted just 2.2 innings but avoided major damage, allowing just one run before handing the ball off to
Caleb Reed, who got the next four outs.
Brady Hamilton fired 3.0 innings out of the bullpen as the bridge to Nuanez.
Florida Atlantic (28-28) grabbed the game's first lead in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Brando Leroux, a tally the Shockers matched with a two-out RBI single from
Jayson Jones in the fifth. John Martinez put the Owls back in front with a solo home run leading off the sixth, and the score stayed 2-1 into the ninth.
Kide Adetuyi (2-3) took the loss for the Owls, allowing four hits and two runs over 4.1 innings.
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