Wichita State baseball drops series at Sam Houston State

Infield singles and a lack of timely hitting proved costly to Wichita State on Sunday as Sam Houston State defeated the Shockers 9-3 in the rubber game of the three-game series in Huntsville, Texas.

The Bearkats scored four runs in the second. Spence Rahm led off with a single to right field, which would be the only hit to leave the infield in the inning. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch, ninth-hole hitter Ryan Farney drew a walk to force in a run. Then, disaster struck for WSU. Travis Lee, Colt Atwood and Hayden Simerly all hit chopping grounders that went for base hits and drove in runs.

On Simerly’s ground ball, Lee tried to score from second and was thrown out at the plate.

Sam Houston State added two more in the fourth, getting two more infield hits.

Meanwhile, the Shockers missed chance after chance to score. In the second, Ryan Tinkham and Chase Rader opened with singles. But Sam Hilliard struck out and Keenan Eaton struck out and on the play, Tinkham was thrown out at third, trying to steal.

In the third, Bob Arens led off with his first hit of the season and Tanner Kirk followed with a double, putting runners on second and third. Michael Burns struck out, but Jordan Farris hit a sacrifice fly to left. Daniel Kihle struck out to end the threat. Kihle struck out four times in the game.

WSU cut the 6-1 deficit to 6-3 in the seventh. Rader singled, and Hilliard got his first hit of the season, a double, driving in Rader. Pinch-hitter Mikel Mucha double in Hilliard. However, Arens grounded out, Kirk, who had singled, was caught stealing; and Burns grounded out to end the threat.

Notes: Shockers batters struck out 11 times, giving them 30 in three games. . . . WSU pitchers have issued 13 walks and struck out just 12. . . . Up next is Oral Roberts on Tuesday in Tulsa. Weather permitting, it will be the debut on the mound by Tyler Jones, who did not allow an earned run in 39 innings last spring at Andale. . . . . Taylor Sanagorski, a freshman from Bishop Carroll, doubled in his hitting debut as a pinch hitter in the ninth. It was the only extra-base hit allowed by SHS closer Ryan Brinley, who yielded just two hits in 2 2/3 innings against WSU.

This story was originally published February 15, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Wichita State baseball drops series at Sam Houston State."