Gauchos knock off Wichita State 6-3

Wichita State couldn’t maintain its momentum from Friday’s walkoff victory, falling 6-3 to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at Eck Stadium.

UCSB (12-5) started six left-handed hitters Saturday against WSU right-hander Isaac Anderson, and the Gauchos managed 10 hits.

A four-run explosion in the fourth inning put the Gauchos ahead to stay.

“They did a good job of manufacturing hits and getting quality at-bats and putting four runs on the board,” Butler said.

UCSB jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first when Cameron Newell scored on Robby Nesovic’s groundout.

But WSU tied the score in its half of the first and took a 2-1 lead in the third when designated hitter Ryan Tinkham doubled down the left-field line, scoring Mikel Mucha all the way from first base. Mucha, who was hitless in four at-bats Friday, went 3 for 4 on Saturday.

“He’s been very solid,” Butler said of Mucha. “He’s a good defender in the outfield. He can throw, he can run the ball down, he’s been pretty good offensively. He’s really what you expect from a fourth-year player, and he’s ready to go.”

Even in defeat, the Shockers (6-11) could find some positives. Sophomore left-handed reliever Reagan Biechler, entered and recorded two strikeouts, then thwarted a steal of home to stop a UCSB rally in the seventh inning.

He then set down the Gauchos in order in the eighth and ninth, striking out two more in the process.

“He pitched fantastic,” WSU coach Todd Butler said. “He pitched well enough to look at him as possibly starting here in the future.”

That’s just fine with Biechler, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, from Colorado Springs.

“That’s been my goal since day one, since I stepped on this campus,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be a starter. I started this summer, and I think I’m ready for the challenge.”

Entering Saturday with the bases loaded and nobody out didn’t faze him, he said.

“I felt pretty calm,” he said. “I just knew that we needed to give our offense a chance and hold them where they were. I just kind of went out there knowing that, and felt relaxed and went right at them.”

Junior transfer Chase Rader hit a solo home run to left-center field in the sixth inning, his second homer of the season and the team’s first at Eck Stadium. With a strong wind blowing in Saturday, home runs were not likely.

“I didn’t think that ball would get out of the yard,” Butler said. “That just shows what kind of power he has. He really hit that ball well.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2015 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Gauchos knock off Wichita State 6-3."