Luke Ritter’s walkoff home run in ninth inning beats K-State

The goal in the second inning on Tuesday night was the same for Wichita State’s pitchers – buy some time.

After WSU starter Keylan Killgore exited with the bases loaded and two runs allowed, it appeared Kansas State could be headed for an early runaway.

But Adam Keller held the Wildcats at two runs, escaping the jam on one pitch, and set a pattern for the other Shockers relievers to follow.

WSU (26-26) didn’t allow another run and won it 3-2 in the ninth on Luke Ritter’s walkoff home run over the center-field fence at Eck Stadium. The Shockers concluded their home schedule with 22 wins, the most in coach Todd Butler’s four seasons.

Chandler Sanburn was the last of multiple WSU relievers to keep the Wildcats at bay, striking out Jake Wodtke to end the top of the ninth with a runner at third base.

“The game tonight goes to Luke Ritter,” Butler said. “During the game I was thinking it would be nice to win it on a home run. Before the game started, you’d think there’d be five or six homers with the wind blowing out 20 mph. But there was only one and it was for the Shockers.

Ritter drove in all three runs for the Shockers – his two-run single in the fourth tied the game 2-2 after a single by Greyson Jenista and four-pitch walks to Alec Bohm and Willie Schwanke.

In the eighth, Ritter, playing right field, recorded the first out on a diving catch to nab a low line drive. The next batter for K-State, Quintin Crandall, hit one in nearly the same spot that Ritter dove for and missed, allowing Crandall to reach on a double.

That was the first runner K-State advanced into scoring position since the third inning, when Steve Serratore had a two-out double. WSU’s relief corps extinguished both threats, as left-handed reliever Reagan Biechler retired lefty batters Serratore and Josh Rolette to leave Crandall on second.

Keller was the most valuable of WSU’s four relievers, who combined for 7 2/3 scoreless innings. Keller pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two hits. It was Keller’s seventh relief outing of more than an inning, and in those games he has covered 18 1/3 innings while one earned run.

WSU has 57 relief appearances of more than an inning, and Connor Lungwitz retired four of the five batters he faced on Tuesday night.

“We have a lot of guys down there (in the bullpen),” Butler said. “We have 14 (pitchers) now, we had like 20 when we started. A few injuries that happened during the season, but somebody has to step up. Our bullpen has been good.”

The Shockers, like K-State, didn’t threaten often as the Wildcats used six pitchers. WSU left two runners on base after Ritter’s two-run single in the fourth and squandered a walk and a single with two outs an inning later.

Ritter led off the bottom of the ninth with a line drive that carried out to center, beyond the glove of Cameron Thompson. It was a celebratory ending to a game that began perilously, as Kilgore threw 57 pitches and allowed six baserunners while recording five outs.

“I’ve never had a walkoff home run before, so that was a really good feeling,” said Ritter, who raised his average to .228.

“…It was a good feeling to finally play well and do it for my team. It was definitely good and hopefully it keeps me going throughout the weekend.”

WSU meets Indiana State in a three-game road series beginning on Thursday with a chance to climb into third place and, finish with an overall winning record and improve on its 9-9 Missouri Valley Conference record.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Luke Ritter’s walkoff home run in ninth inning beats K-State."