WICHITA, KS – ECK STADIUM
The first five innings displayed a measure of classic Missouri Valley baseball.
There were slick double plays, quick seven minute innings, aggressive action baseball with hit-and-runs and attempted steals.
For what little offense was accumulated in those innings, the fans appreciated the pace, and the folks in the press box were ready to enjoy their newfound weekend off.
Three hits through five. Denson Hull walked a few but managed to skirt by some of the nonsense unscathed. Isaac Collins had a webgem on a hotshot to second. Jack Strunc charged a slow chopper towards short, cut it off, and fired a pellet to first. The defense was unmistakably brilliant, the offense not so much.
In the sixth inning the Jays finally broke free. After leaving baserunner after baserunner stranded on the pillows on the diamond, the dam burst forth with a slew of Bluejay runs.
It all started with Isaac Collins bashing a ground ball up the middle. The short stop fielded it cleanly but his throw was late, giving Collins the bag at first. Parker Upton followed with a single of his own, giving the Jays runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out with All-American Will Robertson at the dish.
Collins and Upton were gifted 2nd & 3rd after the Shocker catcher lazily tossed a ball back to the pitcher when the pitcher wasn’t paying attention, sending the ball gleefully rolling into center field. Robertson capitalized on his opportunity and bashed a ball into right center, a sinking liner that the center fielder couldn’t get a hold of, and triumphantly ended up on second. Upton stayed at third because of the threat of a caught ball, but the Jays had a 1-0 lead.
Jake Holton then mashed a fly ball into deep left center, allowing Upton to tag to score and for Robertson to tag to third. The hit train came to a halt after Jack Strunc sent a base hit to right, giving the Jays a 3-0 lead, a lead they’d almost immediately relinquish.
If you could map out a Denson Hull start it’d look something like this:
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He starts slow, works into a groove, and then the wheels suddenly fall off. It’s typical for a pitcher to go through this sort of process, but it’s striking at how it happens to Hull. You can almost pinpoint in an at-bat when it’s going to happen. At pitch 65 he’s on the tail end of his outing, loses control for a few at bats, and then gets pulled.
Tonight he got to the sixth inning and loaded the bases after allowing a single and then doled out back-to-back meat units. All of this on six pitches. A double and two sac flies later and the ballgame was back into the hands of Wichita State.
4-3, Shockers.
Evan Johnson came in to relieve Hull and did a phenomenal job. Though he was wild at times, he seemed to induce weak contact on excellent breaking pitches, mixing his off speed stuff well, and kept the hot Shocker bats at bay. This left a lot to be desired offensively, however, which was unable to put together anything that resembled ‘good’ until the 8th inning.
In the top of the eighth, after Robertson popped out to second and Holton grounded out to… second, Jack Strunc poked a laser up the middle for a base hit. Jordan Hovey then swung the aluminum pipe on a 3-1 count, with Strunc taking off for second, only to lift it lazily into the cold March sky. The centerfielder for Wichita settled under it, ending the inning, and any chance the Jays had in the 8th.
Evan Johnson ran himself into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the eighth after walking the first batter on five pitches. He got the second batter to pop out to center, but then allowed a base hit to Robertson in right. Robertson muffed the ball and let the lead runner get all the way to third.
This gave Wichita runners on the corners with just one out.
Johnson then induced the double play ball, the white orb rolling to Collins, Collins flipping to Strunc, and Strunc making that throw over to first.
Inning ending.
Double play.
The top of the ninth, the last gasp for the Jays, started with a fly out by Allbery to center. Wegner followed this up with a hotshot to centerfield, giving him first, and giving the young man Andrew Meggs an opportunity to put bat on ball to continue this game. For what seemed like an eternity, Meggs stood at the dish and made strong cut after strong cut, eventually connecting on one on a late swing that sent the ball careening towards the foul line in right. The right fielder had the jump, took the route, and slid into a great grab.
Two outs.
Ike to the dish.
Wegner tries to swipe second, or perhaps it was a failed hit-and-run. Whatever it was, Wegner got thrown out.
Thus the doubleheader that had so much promise, so much potential, fizzled and popped like pop rocks in a young kids gullet. An unfortunate series against a bitter rival that ended in disappointing defeat. With opportunities to blow the doors open in game one, to a single inning of misfortune in game two, it’ll take a lot to forget this one.
Just kidding.
I forgot it even happened.