WICHITA, Kan. ? Indiana State was looking for its fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference series victory with a win on Sunday against Wichita State. The Sycamores (30-14, 12-4 MVC) forced the issue all day with their leadoff hitter reaching in seven of nine innings and used five sacrifice bunts to pull out a 5-2 win over the Shockers (24-22, 8-7 MVC) at Eck Stadium.
With the win, ISU extended its Valley series winning streak to four in a row, its longest since 1998. In addition, the Sycamores picked up their first series first against the Shockers in Wichita since 2001.
ISU starter Joe Rodriguez (6-1) picked up his fourth consecutive conference win and improved to 4-0 in Valley starts with a strong outing for the Sycamores. The left-hander allowed three earned runs on eight hits while striking out seven batters in 6.2 innings of work. Reliever Matt Shelton came on to record the last out of the seventh inning and then sent the Shockers down in order in the eighth and ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief. WSU starter Charlie Lowell (5-2) suffered the loss, after allowing five earned runs on 10 hits in seven innings on the mound.
The Sycamores manufactured a run in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Ryan Strausborger led off the game with a solid single into center field and then advanced to second base on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Pascual Del Real. Strausborger then stole third base, his 18th swipe of the season, and Brady Shoemaker walked ahead of Luke Fieser. Fieser then grounded into a fielder's choice, which allowed Strausborger to score from third for the first run of the game.
The Shockers answered with a run of their own on three hits of Rodriguez in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 1-1. With one out in the inning Ryan Jones singled and then advanced to second on a balk by Rodriguez. Will Baez then singled into left field to bring in Jones and tie the game.
The game would stay tied long though, as the Sycamores pushed a run across the plate in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. Tyler Graham doubled off the wall in right center field with one out to start the rally and Joe Meggs drove him in with a sharp single into left field to give the Sycamores the lead back.
ISU kept the scoring going with another run in the top of the third inning to extend its lead to 3-1. Shoemaker led off the inning with a single and Luke Fieser walked to give the Sycamores a couple of base runners. Nick Ciolli followed and reached on a fielder's choice, as Fieser was put out at second and Shoemaker advanced to third. Bronco Lafrenz then drove in the third run of the game for ISU with a sharp single through the left side to give the Sycamore a two-run lead.
That lead was quickly erased in the bottom of the third inning, as Ryan Engrav drove in two runs with a double into right center field to tie the game at 3-3 headed into the fourth inning. Neither team scored in the fourth inning, but ISU tacked on two run in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. With runners on second and third and two outs, Meggs ripped a single up the middle to score Fieser and Ciolli and give the Sycamores a two-run lead.
The Sycamores would hold onto that lead for the rest of the game, as Rodriguez finished his outing strong and Shelton closed out the game retiring all seven hitters he faced. Meggs led the way for the Sycamores with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate and three RBI, while Strausborger added three hits and a run scored. Lafrenz also chipped in two hits and Fieser extended his season-long hitting streak to 19 games with a hit, a runs score and a RBI.
Indiana State will take the middle of the week off to focus on final exams, before returning to action at home against Evansville May 8-10 at Sycamore Field.
