WICHITA, Kan. – Scoring in six consecutive innings from the second through the seventh, the Wichita State Shockers defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 17-5, on Saturday, March 4 at Eck Stadium, evening the series at a game apiece and setting up a Sunday rubber match.

Snapping their first win streak of the season, the Golden Grizzlies are now 2-7, while Wichita State, a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), moves back above .500 at 5-4.

Making his third start, redshirt senior right-hander Brett Hagen took the loss for Oakland, falling to 0-2 and allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts over his 3.1 innings, throwing 51 pitches.

Five Golden Grizzlies pitched out of the bullpen, with redshirt senior Sean Fekete and freshman Dylan Haslett, both fellow right-handers, each working 1.1 innings.

The Shockers took a 1-0 lead in the second, but Oakland tied it back up in the top of the third. Wichita State responded, however, by scoring three times in their half of the third and added five more in the fourth and four more in the fifth to give themselves a 13-1 cushion.

Striking out 10 over six innings, sophomore lefty Payton Tolle earned the win, improving to 2-0 and giving up just two hits and an unearned run.

Also a Preseason All-AAC selection as a designated hitter, Tolle had a career day at the plate, too, going 5-5 with a double, a home run and six RBI in the cleanup spot.

Junior shortstop David Herring went 2-5 with a home run and three RBI and classmate and first baseman Garrett Pennington tallied three hits in his five at-bats, finishing with four runs, two RBI and a stolen base.

Sophomore right fielder John Lauinger recorded two of the Golden Grizzlies' seven hits, with juniors Ryan Dykstra and Brandon Heidal, redshirt seniors Thomas Green and Luke Malmanger and graduate student second baseman Jared Miller collecting one apiece.

Lauinger had the lone extra-base knock, a seventh-inning double.



UP NEXT
These two will decide the series on Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT).

The contest will not be televised on ESPN+, but Shocker Radio will be broadcasting the game, which can be accessed for free here.

Senior left-hander Travis Densmore (0-1, 11.74 ERA) will start for Oakland, while junior righty Grant Adler (2-0, 3.75 ERA) will go for Wichita State.