by WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State scored 13 runs on 14 hits on the way to a 13-6 win over Western Illinois in game one of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.
Ryan Tinkham went 2-for-5 with four RBI, while Chase Rader went 1-for-3 with four RBI.
Starter Tyler Jones went five innings and gave up one earned run on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
The Leathernecks jumped on the board in the top of the first. Roman Visintine led off with a walk and scored on a double down the left field line by Payton Jeffers to give WIU an early 1-0 lead.
The Shockers answered with four runs in the bottom of the first. Tanner Dearman (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) led off with a walk and Daniel Kihle followed with a single. They stole second and third and Chase Rader walked. Ryan Tinkham singled through the left side to drive in Dearman and Kihle and Rader and Tinkham stole second and third. Sam Hilliard’s sacrifice fly scored Rader and Jordan Farris’ single through the right side scored Tinkham for a 4-1 lead.
Dearman led off the second with a single and moved to second on a balk. Kihle singled him to third and Dearman scored on a groundout from Rader for a 5-1 lead. After stealing second, Kihle scored on a single from Tinkham to increase the lead to 6-1.
The Leathernecks added two unearned runs in the third to cut the lead to 6-3.
The Shockers used seven hits in the fifth inning to score five runs to go in front 11-3. The highlight of the inning was a two-run single from Gunnar Troutwine, which was his first career hit.
WIU used four hits in the seventh to score three runs and cut the lead to 11-6, but the Shockers responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to go in front 13-6.
