Ninth-inning home runs lift Bradley to win over Wichita State, end 34-game losing streak

Bradley coach Elvis Dominguez feels little responsibility for the 34-game losing streak to Wichita State at Eck Stadium, one born in 1998 and long before he coached the Braves.

“I was in Cuba when that started,” he said. “I don’t pay attention to that kind of (thing).”

Dominguez, in his eighth season at Bradley, can take some of the responsibility for ending the streak on Saturday with Bradley’s 8-4 win over Wichita State at Eck Stadium. The Braves last defeated the Shockers in their home park, then a smaller version and then home to a national power, 18-11 in the 1996 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

“It is a big deal,” Braves shortstop Tyler Leffler said. “We’ve had a lot of tough games with them here and it’s good to finally get that curse broken.”

Leffler, a senior shortstop, was almost 4 years old in 1998 when the losing streak started in a four-game series in which the Shockers outscored the Braves 58-11. In 2006, the Shockers trailed Bradley 12-4 in the sixth inning and won 19-13. In 2010, WSU’s Cody Lassley broke a 1-all tie with a 10th-inning grand slam. On Friday, WSU trailed 5-0 in the sixth and won 7-5.

Leffler ended all those frustrations and many more, most under the 29-season reign of former coach Dewey Kalmer, with a three-run home run in the ninth inning to break a 4-all tie forged by a home run by WSU’s Gunnar Troutwine’s in the eighth. Bradley’s Andy Shadid took a break from his defensive highlights to add another home run, off the scoreboard, and the four-run lead held up.

WSU (14-25, 4-4 MVC) will try to win the series — and avoid losing a home series to Bradley (17-14, 3-4) for the first time since 1986 — on Sunday with Willie Schwanke pitching after skipping last weekend and moving off his usual Friday start. His recovery from a strained biceps may limit his pitch count.

“I’m not going to give a number, because I don’t know,” WSU coach Todd Butler said. “It depends on how he feels. The concern was starting him Friday and having to go to our bullpen early.”

WSU’s bullpen, historically a dominant advantage in the series against Bradley, unraveled in the ninth inning with a series of mistakes by senior relievers. Chase Williams walked leadoff hitter Luke Mangieri. John Hayes, who pitched two scoreless innings Friday, took over and made the poor choice to throw to second after Spencer Gaa bunted. The throw arrived late and the Braves had two on with no outs.

“We want to get an out,” Butler said. “We know they’re bunting. It was covered before the play happened. Just get an out.”

Leffler, trying to bunt, fell behind 0-2 before Hayes hung a slider. Leffler smacked it over the left-field fence for his first home run of the season and a 7-4 lead.

“I kind of expected Coach to give (the bunt sign)to me again with two strikes and he didn’t,” Leffler said. “Then I’ve got to put the ball in play. A slider backed up on him, hanging out over the middle.”

The bullpen won’t take all the blame.

WSU starter Zach Lewis struck out seven, walking three and hitting one, in five innings. He protected a 2-1 lead in the fifth and struck out DJ Gasso with a curveball and got No. 9 hitter Brady Wilkin to pop up on the infield. WSU shorstop Trey Vickers, normally wide-ranging and reliable, struggled to track the ball on a windy day and it glanced off his glove with Wilkin sliding into second.

“It’s windy here in Wichita,” Butler said. “We misplayed a popup yesterday and it cost us two runs with two outs. We work on popups every week. We cover it. It’s windy here every day.”

Lewis walked a batter and hit a batter before Paul Solka roped a two-run single into center for a 3-2 lead.

Troutwine tied the game 4-all with his home run in the eighth, marking the third time the Shockers ralled to tie or take the lead. Dayton Dugas’ sacrifice fly in the sixth, scoring Troutwine aftera leadoff single, made it 3-all. The Shockers took their only lead on RBI singles by Mikel Mucha and Greyson Jenista in the third for a 2-1 lead.

The Shockers totaled 12 hits, but couldn’t bunch them enough to build a lead after the fifth. They missed their best chance to give the bullpen a cushion after Troutwine’s homer of Braves reliever Allan Beer. Beer, pitching for the first time since March 17, surrendered a double to Chase Rader. He recovered to strike out Ryan Tinkham, Dayton Dugas and Zach Reding to strand Rader and keep the game tied.

Worth noting — Troutwine’s eighth-inning home run was WSU’s first since it hit four against Oral Roberts on April 5, a span of nine games. … Vickers went 2 for 4 and is 7 for 11 in three games this week. … Bradley third baseman Spencer Gaa is 0 for 9 in the series after entering the series hitting .343 for the season and .450 in five MVC games. … Tinkham, in a 3-for-26 slump, didn’t start for the second time in three games. Before last week’s game against Missouri State, he had started all but two games this season.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Ninth-inning home runs lift Bradley to win over Wichita State, end 34-game losing streak."