Shockers Shut Down, Out - Wichita Eagle 4/18

[mickeyb]

Shockers shut down, out

BY PAUL SUELLENTROP

The Wichita Eagle

This kind of game was not supposed to happen to Wichita State this baseball season. The Shockers are supposed to be more experienced and hungrier than last season.

They live up to that most times.

Tuesday was not one of those nights. Oral Roberts looked sharper, more enthusiastic and better prepared in a 4-0 victory at Eck Stadium.

Perhaps it had a lot to do with pitcher Jerry Sullivan, who locks up the Shocker bats like few others.

"No excuses," WSU catcher Tyler Weber said. "We didn't come out ready to play."

Perhaps the stinker can be excused, coming after a long bus ride Sunday night and Monday morning returning from Southern Illinois.

However, it does not seem likely WSU coach Gene Stephenson cut short postgame interviews to tell his team "We'll get 'em next time, fellas."

"We mailed this game in right after it started," Stephenson said. "I don't think we wanted to play. It was a sad effort. Worst effort of the year, physically and mentally."

That is the way things go against ORU (17-14). The Golden Eagles have won nine of the past 11 meetings and four straight. ORU entered the game hitting .245 and was 3-13 on the road. No. 10 WSU (30-9) had won six straight.

Those numbers meant nothing with Sullivan on the mound. The right-handed freshman threw his first complete game, allowing four hits and striking out six. Sullivan threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings against WSU on April 3, a 7-4 victory for ORU in Tulsa.

Sullivan kept WSU off balance from start to finish. The Shockers swung at bad pitches, consistently hitting weak fly balls and infield pop-ups.

"We just didn't make any adjustments," Weber said. "Last time he threw a lot of off-speed stuff. Today, he came back and threw a lot of fastballs."

Sullivan, 17 months removed from elbow surgery, said the Shockers saw a different pitcher than in Tulsa. He is slowly refining his slider as he recovers from the surgery. Tuesday, he used it often.

"I had my slider going tonight, which was a relief," he said. "Last time they saw me, they only saw two pitches."

WSU, which scored 10, 8 and 19 runs in a three-game sweep at Southern Illinois over the weekend, did not put much pressure on Sullivan. The Shockers went down in order in the first, third, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. In the sixth, Sullivan needed four pitches to retire top-of-the-order hitters Damon Sublett, Dusty Coleman and Matt Brown. He threw eight pitches in the fourth against Coleman, Brown and Conor Gillaspie.

Since WSU did not make him work, coach Rob Walton let Sullivan finish up. He threw 100 pitches.

"This is a huge step for me, to go all nine," Sullivan said.

WSU's best threats came with two outs, meaning the threat was minimal. Weber's strikeout stranded Gillaspie at third in the second inning after a leadoff single. Tyler Hill smashed a line drive to the first baseman with Dirks and Weber on first and second in the fifth.

WSU starter Max Hutson pitched well, but not quite as well as Sullivan.

ORU took a 2-0 lead in the third inning with only one hard-hit ball. Brendan Duffy walked with one out and Kelly Minissale reached on an infield hit. They both stole on the first pitch to the next batter. Jake Kahaulelio grounded out to second to score Duffy. Rothford followed with a double to drive in Minissale.

[mickeyb]

If he's only going to get better . . . the Mid-Con better watch out!

[tmh8286]

I spent a little time on the WSU message board this AM - they can't BELIEVE they lost to us again!  They look at our stats and think they should have won.  They look at our pitcher - a FRESHMAN! - and think they should have won.  They look at our road record - and they think they should have won.  I just think we're a better team than our record indicates.  And Jerry Sullivan's freshman rank belies the fact that he was one of the best high school pitchers in the country. 

I thought about posting that we've won four of our last six games against ranked teams, but decided not to.  Probably wouldn't be appreciated.