WICHITA, Kan. — BYU baseball used a five-run eighth inning to put away Wichita State in a 9-2 win on Tuesday afternoon at Eck Stadium.
With the win in Wichita, BYU moves to 23-23, 15-13 on the road and has its sixth consecutive midweek victory.
The Cougars led from start to finish and held a 4-1 lead at the top of the eighth before piling on five insurance runs on three hits and an error for a 9-1 lead three outs later.
BYU’s nine runs came on 13 hits with 11 singles, a double and home run as late-season emergent batters Tate Gambill and Chipper Beck lead the way. Gambill led off the game with his first homer of the season while extending his team-long 15-game hitting and 19-game reached base streaks. Beck continued a seven-game hitting streak while recording his 12th RBI in just 10 hits this season.
“Tate and Chipper have been ready to play when other guys have gone down,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “That’s what team baseball is all about.”
BYU finished the day 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position while an error-free Cougar defense held the Shockers to 2-for-8. Six BYU pitchers combined to allow two runs on nine hits and record nine strikeouts to three walks. Jaden Harris earned the win for BYU with two-and-a-third scoreless innings.
“I hope we learn from today and can take it into the weekend,” Pratt said. “We have to keep getting better at throwing strikes.”
BYU Highlights
- Chipper Beck: 2-3, R, 3 RBI
- Tate Gambill: 2-6, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
- Cooper Vest: 3-5, 2 RBI, 2B
- Parker Goff: 2-5, 2 R
- Crew McChesney: 2-3, R
Game Summary
BYU took a 3-0 lead with five hits through the first two innings. Gambill wasted no time scoring the Cougars’ first run with a leadoff homer 415 feet to center. Keoni Painter and Goff led off the second with consecutive singles. McChesney put Painter at third with a sacrifice bunt and BYU had its 3-0 lead in short order with Beck sneaking a two-RBI single into left center.
WSU got on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI double, but the Cougars were quick to add another run with two hits in the top of the fourth.
Goff registered his second hit in as many at bats with a one-out single to center. McChesney then singled up the middle to send Goff to third and Beck added his third RBI of the game, scoring Goff for the 4-1 Cougar lead.
After scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh innings, BYU found some insurance runs in the top of the eighth with five on three hits and an error as nine batters came to the plate. By barrage’s end, BYU led 9-1.
Painter earned a lead off walk and his pinch runner, Ryker Schow, stole second and moved to third shortly after as McChesney dropped a flare into shallow center. Schow scored the Cougars’ first run of the inning on a wild pitch for the 5-1 lead.
BYU added another run with Gambill singling to score McChesney and reaching second on a fielding error while a walked Beck went to third. Ryder Robinson brought home Beck on a sacrifice fly while the Cougars plated their final two runners of the inning on a two-RBI double from Cooper Vest.
The Shockers plated a second run on an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth but came no closer as BYU secured the 9-2 win.
Up Next
BYU makes the trip up I-35 to Lawrence for its weekend Big 12 series with Kansas May 8-10 at Hoglund Ballpark. Follow the Cougars as they face the Jayhawks with each game available on ESPN+ and BYU Radio.