WSU walks eight, falls to Cal Poly 7-2

As well as Wichita State may – or may not – hit from game to game, no matter how effective the baserunning or flashy the defense, one component seems to most closely relate to wins and losses.

Walks.

WSU pitchers can make games feel interminable by issuing them, as they did throughout Cal Poly’s 7-2 win at Eck Stadium on Friday night. Over three hours and 19 minutes, WSU issued eight walks and a pair of hit batsmen.

It was the eighth time in 22 games the Shockers (7-15) have walked at least five. The only win was against overmatched North Dakota earlier this month.

“That’s 10 runners,” said WSU coach Todd Butler, also pointing out that WSU batters drew a single walk. “That right there is, for weekend play, you give 10 free bases and it’s not a good recipe for winning. That’s where we’re at.”

The Shockers outhit Cal Poly 9-8 thanks mostly to a five-hit first inning, but they were unable to score with the efficiency of their opponent. Cal Poly walked three times in the first, two surrendered by starter Zach Lewis before he was removed trailing 2-0.

WSU’s worst innings in the field happen when its flaws compound. In Cal Poly’s two-run sixth inning, WSU walked two and catcher Gunnar Troutwine was charged with a passed ball.

In the ninth, WSU hit a batter, walked in a run, threw a wild pitch and committed an error, leading to two more Cal Poly runs. A night earlier, Wichita State played perhaps its most complete game in defeating Cal Poly 6-0.

“That’s what we’ve been doing,” Butler said. “If you look at us, even at home, we’ll win the battle of walks and not making errors and passed balls and we’ll win that game. Then the next game we’ll walk guys, have passed balls, errors, and we’ll lose that game. That’s kind of how we’ve played at home, which is disturbing.”

Butler addressed the team in a lengthy, intense clubhouse meeting immediately following Friday’s game. Among the issues he discussed afterward was WSU’s inability to pounce on openings the way Cal Poly did on Friday and like so many previous opponents.

Cal Poly starter Kyle Smith was just as shaky in his first inning, allowing each of the first six WSU batters to record either a hit or an RBI – or both. The Shockers had the bases loaded before a Travis Young double play ended the inning after they scored two runs.

Unlike Lewis, who didn’t survive his initial bout with peril, Smith hung around for 4 1/3 innings and WSU had one more runner reach scoring position against him – a runner who reached on an error.

WSU had two hits against reliever Spencer Howard, who completed the game. Trailing 5-2 in the seventh, WSU got a leadoff double from Young, but he didn’t advance past second base.

The Shockers haven’t won consecutive games against the same opponent since a season-opening series against Northern Colorado but can win their first series since then by defeating Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon.

“We get out hits,” Butler said. “Putting runs with the hits is something we need to get better at.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 11:10 PM with the headline "WSU walks eight, falls to Cal Poly 7-2."