Shockers overcome early troubles, beat Salukis 17-7
Wichita State sophomore Alec Bohm committed an error on the game’s first play Sunday, the first of three WSU errors during the first three pitches that gave Southern Illinois a one-run lead.
Bohm redeemed himself on offense, hitting a two-run home run to center field a half inning later, the first of his three hits in WSU’s 17-7 win at Eck Stadium in a game halted after seven innings by the Valley’s run rule.
“His bat is what makes him a really good player,” WSU coach Todd Butler said. “ I was hoping for something big like that in yesterday’s game.… I think he’d have eight to 10 home runs if the wind would be like this every day.”
SIU tied the score 2-2 with a run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
The Shockers took control with eight runs in the third without the benefit of an extra-base hit.
WSU loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Trey Vickers and Alex Jackson each drove in a run with singles.
Noah Croft drew a bases loaded walk and Jordan Boyer was hit by a pitch that allowed two more runs to score, then Greyson Jenista hitting a sacrifice fly to center that gave the Shockers a 7-2 lead. Bohm hit a two-run singled to right field to drive in two more runs and senior Willie Schwanke capped off the eight-run third inning with a single to put the Shockers up 10-2.
“Everybody stuck to their approach,” Jenista said. “There’s no difference in Friday night or Saturday night. (We) don’t play the scoreboard. We’re playing pitch by pitch, regardless if we’re up 10 or down five. It doesn’t matter. The approaches are the same and we’ll take our chances.”
The Salukis scored twice in the fourth of WSU starter Cody Tyler (3-3 to pull within 10-4.
WSU responded with six more runs in the fifth –two on wild pitches, one a bases-loaded hit batter, one on a bases-loaded walk and two on a throwing error.
The game-ending run in the seventh also scored on a throwing error, allowing Wichita State (16-15) to win two of three in its first MVC series of the season.
“It’s easy to coast with a lead like that, but we didn’t them to give them any benefit,” Bohm said. “We wanted to keep putting up runs and give our pitchers room to work with.”
SIU | ab | r | h | bi | WSU | ab | r | h | bi |
Kopach 2b | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Jenista 1b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Smith rf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Young lf | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Lambert lf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bohm 3b | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Hand dh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Schwnk dh | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Blackfan 1b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dugas rf | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Andersn 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DeBckr rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hutchins c | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Vickers ss | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Fairfield c | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Jackson cf | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Farmer ss | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Croft c | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Sabo 3b | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Boyer 2b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Mucha cf | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||
Totals | 32 | 7 | 8 | 3 | Totals | 31 | 17 | 13 | 12 |
Southern Ill. | 110 | 203 | 0 | — | 7 8 3 |
Wichita St. | 208 | 060 | 1 | — | 17 13 5 |
One out when game halted by run rule.
E: Montgomery (1), Hutchins (5), Sabo (7), Bohm (6), Boyer (4), Tyler (1), Vickers (8), Dugas (3). DP: SIU. LOB: SIU 6, WSU 8. 2B: Hutchins 2 (11), Sabo (5). HR: Bohm (5). SF: Sabo (1), Jenista (1).
S Illinois | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
Marciano L2-2 | 2 1/3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
McPheron | 1/3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Montgomery | 1 2/3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Harrison | 1/3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Shimkus | 1/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Yeager | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Ellet | 1/3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wichita State | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
Tyler W,3-3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Evans | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
WP: Montgomery (2), Harrison (3). HBP: Boyer, Young (by McPheron); Croft (by Shimkus); Boyer, Jenista (by Ellet). PB: Croft (2). T: 3:11. A: 2,696.
This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Shockers overcome early troubles, beat Salukis 17-7."