Wichita State wastes solid starting effort by Chase Williams

Wichita State pitcher Chase Williams bounced his first pitch in the dirt. His second sailed over the head of the batter. After a walk, he threw two more balls and two pitchers jogged toward the bullpen. Pitching coach Brent Kemnitz and catcher Bob Arens strolled to the mound in the first inning.

It looked like another tough day for a Shockers pitcher. Then Williams rallied and, through the fog of a 4-2 loss to Bradley on Saturday at Dozer Park, coach Todd Butler can see a rebuilt pitching staff that might work.

“We don’t have a lot pitching, with 11 guys,” Butler said. “Williams pitched well and that’s two good starts in a row. The more we pitch him the better he will become.”

Williams made his second start as a Shocker and his third counting a one-season junior-college career. He wasn’t ready to match Bradley starter Steve Adkins, who held WSU to three hits and one run over seven innings to stop a 20-game losing streak to the Shockers. The Braves (25-10, 4-4 Missouri Valley Conference) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Spencer Gaa’s home run and scored three in the fifth, two after a pop-up dropped a few feet from shortstop Tanner Kirk and not much farther from left fielder Tanner Dearman.

“That’s probably the most important win I’ve had,” Adkins said. “I felt I owed it to (coach Elvis Dominguez) to get off the schneid and finally beat these guys.”

The Shockers (14-24, 6-5) rarely threatened Adkins, a junior right-hander, who struck out nine and walked two. He struck out the first four batters and allowed one runner to reach second in the first five innings. In the sixth, he walked two hitters with one out before No. 3 hitter Ryan Tinkham lined out and Sam Hilliard bounced out to first base.

“He had a couple different curveballs he was throwing and a couple different off-speeds,” WSU center fielder Daniel Kihle said. “He was ahead in the count a lot and making it hard on us.”

Adkins escaped a potentially dangerous spot in the third when he hit Kihle in the hand with a pitch up and in to the right-handed batter. Kihle took a few steps toward first, on his way to load the bases, when home-plate umpire David Condon called him back. After Butler argued, Kihle struck out to end the inning.

“He didn’t get out of the way, which is the rule by the NCAA,” Butler said. “The pitch is up and in. I don’t know how you get out of the way of it. That’s the rule. It’s a tough position for the umpires. David gave his best judgement there and that’s the way it is.”

Adkins gave the Shockers little hope after that. Double plays helped him work out of the second and fourth innings with no damage. Kihle homered off reliever Cameron Roegner in the eighth to score both WSU runs.

“(Adkins) threw harder than anticipated,” Butler said. “He was 90-93 mph with a good breaking ball. Last night, we swung the bats well. Today, the pitcher was better than us.”

After that visit to the mound in the first inning, Williams got two outs on flyballs and picked Chris Godinez off first base. He struck out Drew Carlile with a slider to end the second to start a streak of five straight strikeouts. He worked ahead with his fastball and then finished them off with his slider.

“Second start, I was just trying to get the nerves out,” Williams said. “Brent came out there and told me to flush it and move on. I was good from there.”

Williams threw 77 pitches, another step in building up his arm after he started the season as a reliever. Injuries to two starters are pushing him into a bigger role and teammates believe he possesses the talent. Now he needs to add experience after elbow surgery limited his innings in junior college.

“He’s probably the best arm that we have,” Kihle said. “He can throw the fastball by anybody. He really developed his slider. Everyone knew once he got confidence, he was going to be a lights out guy.”

Williams went 4 2/3 innings, his longest outing this season, struck out five and walked three while allowing four hits. The fifth inning doomed the Shockers after Williams gave up two singles and two walks to let in a run and load the bases. Reliever Sam Hilliard got Elliot Ashbeck to pop up a 1-1 pitch behind third base. Kirk ran toward it, lost it in the sun, stumbled, and the ball dropped. Two runs scored to give Bradley a 4-0 lead.

“I lost it in the sun, and then when it was coming down, I saw it again,” he said. “But I didn’t really see it, and I missed it.”

Bradley closer Matt Dennis struck out two Shockers in a hitless ninth inning to earn his eighth save to tie Bradley’s single-season record.

Worth noting — Tinkham extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a fourth-inning single … Bradley beat the Shockers for the first time since 2007, a 6-5 win in Peoria. The Braves last won a series against the Shockers in 2003 when it won three of four games in Peoria … WSU reliever John Ferrendelli threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, his longest outing as a Shocker. He struck out three and allowed three hits. Hilliard threw five pitches in the fifth inning before coaches pulled him to save him for possible duty on Sunday.

This story was originally published April 18, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Wichita State wastes solid starting effort by Chase Williams."