WSU falls behind early in 7-5 loss to Dallas Baptist

Staring at a 7-2 deficit after giving up three runs in the top of the fifth inning Friday night, Wichita State battled back with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 7-5.

The Shockers had the tying runs in scoring position in the seventh, but Dallas Baptist’s pitchers were up to the challenge, holding on for a 7-5 victory at Eck Stadium.

Shocker relievers held the Patriots (37-16, 15-4) scoreless in the final four innings, but WSU (20-35, 8-12) couldn’t quite get over the hump.

“We’re getting better,” Shockers coach Todd Butler said afterward. “We didn’t give up anything in the seventh, eighth and ninth. We’re in the game with an opportunity.”

Butler praised his team’s resiliency.

“Our guys are fighting,” he said. “They’re doing all they can, and sometimes that’s not good enough and we lose 7-5. It was a close game (Thursday) and Dallas Baptist has the best team in our league, and they know how to win, and we’re fighting to try to get one (Saturday), hopefully.”

Freshman Greyson Jenista, who homered and singled and reached base three times, said there’s plenty of fight in the team.

“This team doesn’t quit,” Jenista said. “We never quit all year. We always come back and score late. That’s kind of the story of this team.”

Senior Mikel Mucha, who had two hits, scored once and drove in another run, said the five-run deficit didn’t faze the team.

“Typically in the late innings, that’s when we start going and hitting,” he said. “It just didn’t happen (Friday). That’s how baseball goes.

“Every inning counts, and you’ve just got to chip away and hope for the best. It just didn’t turn out the right way.”

In the ninth, Dallas Baptist relief ace Seth Elledge got his 13th save by striking out two of the three Shockers he faced, reaching speeds of 95 mph and lowering his ERA to 1.16. He also saved Friday’s 5-4 victory.

Unlike Thursday night, when WSU jumped early on Patriots starter Colin Poche, the Shockers found little success in the first three innings.

But in the fourth, Jenista singled with one out and scored when Alec Bohm lofted a 2-2 pitch into the bleachers down the left-field line, putting WSU on the board.

Dallas Baptist increased its lead with a three-run fifth, sparked by a two-run double from Austin Listi, who also had a two-run homer in the second and had four RBI on the night.

But Mucha singled in the fifth and scored on Travis Young’s single, Young’s second hit of the game, to make it 7-3.

Jenista then powered a ball the opposite way leading off the fifth to make it 7-4. One out later, Zach Reding doubled and came around to score on Mucha’s second hit of the game, a single to center.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 11:16 PM with the headline "WSU falls behind early in 7-5 loss to Dallas Baptist."