CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Wichita State was three outs away from another thrilling win at the American Conference Championship, but Rice rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to snatch a 5-4 win on Thursday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark.
Wichita State will now play the loser of UTSA/the winner of Memphis and UAB in the final game of the day on Friday. That contest is scheduled to start 47 minutes after the conclusion of the 3:30 pm CT game.
The Shockers (29-28) built a 4-2 lead with single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings against Rice starter Tanner Wiggins. The WSU bullpen maintained that advantage thanks to great work from
Reese Kortum (3.2 innings, one run),
Amar Tsengeg (1.1 innings, no runs) and
Heitaro Hayashi (retired both hitters he faced).
Brady Hamilton got the final out of the eighth inning to preserve a 4-3 lead but immediately ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth.
Kutter-Gage Webb led off the inning with a solo home run to right field to tie the game at 4-4, then consecutive singles put the potential winning run at second base with nobody out. Rice catcher Lorenzo Rios bunted back to the mound, but Hamilton's throw to third base sailed wide and allowed Jacob Devenny to score the deciding run.
Kaleb Duncan got the Shockers on the board in the top of the second inning with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead, an advantage that proved to be short lived. The Owls (35-22) answered with a pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the inning from Webb and Rios to take a 2-1 edge.
Owen Washburn slammed a long solo home run down the right field line in the third, tying the game at 2-2.
Zeb Henry then inched the Shockers back in front with an RBI groundout in the fourth, and a Webb throwing error tacked on a run in the fifth for a 4-2 WSU lead.
Zachary Fechtel (1-0) picked up the win for Rice, working scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. The Shockers had a chance to add an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but pinch-runner
Anthony Cepeda was thrown out at the plate trying to score on
Nolan Ganter's two-out double.
Hamilton (3-8) took the loss in relief for the Shockers.
