Shockers sweep Western Illinois

A strong northeast wind blew steadily into the batters’ faces at Eck Stadium Tuesday afternoon. So the Shockers kept the ball on the ground, ran the bases aggressively and singled and stole their way to a confidence-boosting doubleheader sweep over Western Illinois, 13-6 and 18-2.

In the opener, Wichita State’s second-largest offensive performance this season came with full participation. All nine starters recorded at least one hit by the fifth inning. Of the 14 Shocker hits, 12 were singles. They had to be on a day when anything hit in the air was caught up in the wind.

“When the wind is blowing in like this we have to change our approach, of course,” junior Chase Rader said. “Before the game the coaches talked to us and we really focused on hitting line drives and hard ground balls during BP today.”

Rader drove in four runs, including a two-RBI double in a five-run fifth. Fellow junior Ryan Tinkham, who followed Rader in the lineup at the cleanup spot, drove in four runs on two singles.

“The wind is blowing in and line drives, ground balls will work for you,” coach Todd Butler said. “Fly balls are outs, and the guys did a good job executing the game plan.”

The Shockers’ aggressive approach at the plate carried over to the bases. They executed three double steals and went a perfect 10 for 10 on stolen base attempts, the most for a Shocker team in nine years.

“We stole some bases in that game, and I think that helped produce more runs,” Butler said. “It was a good win.”

The success on offense allowed Wichita State to throw several young arms. Starting pitcher Tyler Jones led the way to an adventurous afternoon that saw three freshmen pitchers combined to work their way out of tight situations most of the day, stranding 12.

Jones fought his way out of a pair of jams in the first two innings. He allowed the game’s first two batters to reach on a walk and an RBI double but struck out two of the next three to escape further damage.

Jones also gave up a pair of one-out singles in the second but struck out designated hitter Dave Dobrinich and forced a grounder to second to strand both runners.

But Jones failed to manufacture a similar escape in the third. An error by Tinkham at first base prolonged the inning and, coupled with a ground ball single, put runners on first and second. J.J. Reimer came through with a two-out, two-RBI double to the gap in left-center field.

Jones (1-1) recovered to strand two more runners in the third. He retired six of the last seven batters he faced, struck out six and stranded six runners over five innings to get his first win.

Bradley Kinsley and Chandler Sanburn each provided multiple innings of relief. Kinsley allowed three runs on five hits in an inning and two-thirds, while Sanburn threw two and one-third scoreless innings to close the game.

Western Illinois pitcher Colan Borchers (0-1) gave up six runs on six hits in two innings in his first start.

Leading 6-2 through four innings, the Shockers broke the game open with a five-run fifth fueled by six consecutive hits. Tanner Dearman singled in the inning and finished with a 3-for-5 effort with three runs scored.

In the second game, WSU scored a season-high in runs.

The Shockers scored 10 runs in the sixth, sending 16 batters to the plate. They scored the first four runs without a hit on three hit-batters and three walks. They got just four hits and left the bases loaded.

In all, WSU needed just 10 hits to score 18 runs as WIU dealt out 10 walks, hit five batters and committed four errors.

Considering the Shockers’ difficulties this season, a lopsided win where everything went right at the plate provided some much-needed confidence.

“We need a lot right now, let’s be honest,” Butler said after the first game Wednesday. “We need some wins. We need some confidence builders. It’s important for this team right now, because of what we’ve been through. We need to improve.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2015 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Shockers sweep Western Illinois."