TERRE HAUTE, IN ?. For the second time in a week, the Indiana State Sycamores lost a game that was suspended on Friday and completed on Saturday.
The Sycamores and Shockers were in the ninth inning Friday night when inclement weather forced the suspension of the game. When play resumed Saturday, Wichita State broke away from an 8-7 game with six in the ninth to defeat ISU 14-7.
Indiana State had the first game at Evansville suspended by rain last weekend and lost that game 6-4 after play resumed last Saturday.
The Sycamores (12-25 overall and 5-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference) and the Shockers (32-8 overall and 10-3 in the Valley) play their regularly scheduled Saturday game starting at 2 p.m. (ET)
The Sycamores took the early lead, scoring a run in the bottom of the first. Ryan Strausborger led off with a single through the left side and advanced on a David Brumagin sacrifice bunt. Chris Schmidt followed with an RBI single to center to put ISU up 1-0.
That lead lasted until the third inning when Wichita State's Dusty Coleman blasted a wind aided grand slam home run, putting the Shockers up 4-1.
Indiana State fought back in the fourth. Nick Ciolli led off with a single up the middle and Pascual walked with one out. Back to back singles by Strausborger and Brumagin scored two ISU runs and cut the Shocker lead to 4-3.
Wichita State came back with one in the fifth on a Conor Gillaspie solo home run, adding two more in the sixth on a Andy Dirks RBI single and one in the eighth on three straight singles.
Back came the Sycamores again, scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth to cut the deficit to one. Walks to Ciolli and Pasucal Del Real were sandwiched around Ben Caple being hit by a pitch which loaded the bases. Brian Ramirez pinch hit for Bronco Lafrenz and grounded into a double play but that also allowed Ciolli to score.
Singles by Strausborger, Brumagin and Schmidt scored another run with two more runs scoring on wild pitches by the Wichita State pitchers. The Sycamore rally was finally stopped when Gary King, pinch hitting for Brian Oliver fouled out to third base.
The game was delayed by lightning with one out in the top of the ninth. When play resumed Saturday afternoon, the Shockers tacked on six runs, four on Gillaspie's second home run of the game, this one a grand slam that hit the top of the right centerfield fence and bounced over.
Ryan Strausborger went 4-for-5 for the Sycamores, all singles. David Brumagin had three singles in four trips, Brady Shoemaker and Nick Ciolli had two singles each, and Ben Caple and Pascual Del Real had a single each.
Michael Manus (1-7) started for Indiana State and was charged with the loss, giving up seven runs on six hits in seven innings.
