WICHITA, Kan. ? No. 2 seed Indiana State held a 7-4 lead after six innings of play against No. 3 seed and host Wichita State on Wednesday night in the first game for both teams at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. That lead would not hold though for the Sycamores (33-19), as the Shockers (28-24) scored 11 unanswered runs over the final three innings of play to pick up a 15-7 win at Eck Stadium.
ISU starter Eric Valdez battled on the mound, as he gave up four early runs but settled down late to pitch six innings and give up six runs for the Sycamores. Reliever Michael Manus (2-2) suffered the loss for the Sycamores, as he allowed the eventual go-ahead runs in an inning of work. WSU reliever Remington Johnson (3-0) earned the win, as he allowed just three hits in two scoreless innings on the bump.
The Shockers jumped out to a quick lead with four runs in the top of the first inning. After Valdez walked Chris O'Brien to load the bases, Wichita State centerfielder Ryan Jones hit a line-drive grand slam home run over the wall in right field to give the Shockers an early four-run advantage.
After loading the bases in the bottom of the first inning and coming up empty, the Sycamores took advantage in the bottom of the second inning and cut the Shocker lead in half. With one out in the inning, Brian Jett was hit by a Kelley pitch and Ben Ferrell followed with a double down the left field line as Jett advanced to third. Ryan Strausborger then singled to shortstop to pick up a RBI as Jett scored to cut the lead to 4-1. After Kyle Burnam flied out to left field, Brady Shoemaker walked to load the bases for Nick Ciolli who reached on an error by WSU shortstop Tyler Grimes as Ferrell scored the unearned run to cut the lead to 4-2.
ISU then tied the game in the bottom of the second inning with a couple more runs. With one out in the inning, Bronco Lafrenz was hit by a Kelley pitch and Jett singled through the right side to give the Sycamores a couple of base runners. Ferrell then walked to load the bases for the third consecutive inning against Kelley. Strausborger was up next and struck out swinging for the second out of the inning, but Burnam singled back up the middle and the ball bounced off Kelley's foot into left field which allowed Lafrenz and Jett to score and tie the game at 4-4.
Valdez continued to settle down and shut down the Shocker offense, while his offense continued to give him some much needed run support. Tyler Graham scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Sycamores their first lead of the game at 5-4. ISU then tacked on two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a RBI double by Shoemaker and a RBI single by Luke Fieser to extend the lead to 7-4.
The Shockers picked up two runs in the top of the seventh inning to cut the ISU lead to 7-6, which forced Valdez out of the game. Jones led off the inning with his second home run of the game, this time a solo shot to centerfield to plate the first run of the frame. Bret Bascue then reached and advanced on a throwing error by Fieser at third base and then came around to score on a RBI single to right field off the bat of Ryan Engrav. ISU then got out of a jam as Manus forced a lineout double play to Strausborger to end the threat and keep the one-run lead in tact.
However, that lead was not safe as the Shockers exploded for eight runs on five hits to re-take the lead at 14-7. A two-run single by Engrav and a two-run single by Andrew Letourneau broke the inning open for the Shockers as they chewed through four ISU pitchers in the frame.
That put a big damper on the night for ISU, as the Sycamores could not rally back and the Shockers tacked on a run in the top of the ninth inning to secure a 15-7 victory to wrap up the first day of play at the tournament. Burnam finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the way for the ISU offense, while Strausborger, Ciolli, Fieser and Lafrenz each chipped in with two hits apiece.
No. 2 seed Indiana State will continue pool play in the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday against No. 6 seed Illinois State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST at Eck Stadium.
