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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—In a wild game which saw nearly everything, it was a simple bouncing ball up the middle which proved to be the difference in Wichita State’s 9-8 victory over the University of Evansville baseball team on Saturday afternoon at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

Outfielder Kevin Hall’s two-out RBI single up the middle in the top of the ninth inning gave the Shockers a 9-7 lead with a key insurance run. That run was much needed, as Evansville rallied for a run of its own in the bottom of the ninth inning on a pinch-hit RBI single by junior Shawn Kuester. UE would put the potential winning run at second base in the bottom of the ninth, but Wichita State’s Grant Muncrief induced a game-ending double-play ball to earn his first save of the year and preserve the 9-8 victory.

“To even have a chance to win today’s game is a credit to the type of character and ability that this team has, because to be honest, we really hurt ourselves today,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “We made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes today and issued a lot of walks, but we still had a chance, and I credit this team for battling through everything to have a chance in the ninth inning. Hopefully, tomorrow, we will limit those mistakes and continue to compete, because a series win is on the line.”

Wichita State took advantage of early wildness from UE starter Sam Johns (1-2) to grab a 4-2 lead after three innings, as three of the Shockers’ first four runs reached base initially via a walk from Johns. Wichita State would tack on a fifth run in the fourth inning on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to grab a 5-2 lead.

UE would score two runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by freshman catcher Chris Pearson and an RBI single by senior outfielder Alex Acheson. The Purple Aces would nearly tie the game at 5-5 in the fifth, but luck was not on UE’s side.

Senior first baseman Tom Heithoff delivered a two-out double to the wall in center field in the fifth inning. On a wild pitch by Wichita State’s Tim Kelley (4-1), Heithoff advanced to third and after seeing the ball bounce up into the netting behind home plate, he tried to score. After the ball appeared to be lodged in the netting, it was bounced back into play by a fan passing by. Wichita State catcher Chris O’Brien then relayed the throw to Kelley who applied the tag to Heithoff for the out to end the fifth inning.

The Shockers would eventually take an 8-4 lead to the eighth inning thanks to a pair of wind-aided home runs by second baseman Will Baez and designated hitter Preston Springer, before the Purple Aces would battle back once again.

UE senior designated hitter Andy Pascoe began the bottom of the eighth inning against Wichita State reliever Justin Kemp with a double to right-center field. After a walk to Pearson, Acheson followed with a single to right field which loaded the bases with no one out. Freshman shortstop Eric Stamets then followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Pascoe and cut the Wichita State lead to 8-5.

Junior outfielder Greg Wallace then roped a two-run single through the hole on the right side of the Wichita State infield to cut the lead to 8-7. On the play though, Wallace tried to swipe second with the Shockers retreating back to the middle of the diamond and head coach Gene Stephenson making his way to the mound, but he was thrown out. Muncrief then relieved and got a line out by junior infielder Cody Fick and a fly out by sophomore infielder Trentt Copeland to end the threat with Stamets left at third.

Acheson led Evansville’s 17-hit attack by going 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Stamets also went a perfect 3-for-3 with a stolen base, while Heithoff added three hits as well. Four different Shockers produced two-hit games, with Baez leading the way with two hits, a home run and two RBI.

With the victory, Wichita State evens the series at one game apiece and improves to 16-9 overall and 4-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Evansville, meanwhile, sees its three-game winning streak snapped and falls to 13-14 overall and 3-2 in the Valley with the loss. The two teams will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Braun Stadium in a game that can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.