Here’s what happened. The New Orleans bats, silent from the fourth through the eighth innings, erupted. And it all started after Josh Tarnow struck out against Noah Krol to start the top of the ninth.
The New Orleans rally, which has seen the Privateers score three times to take a 7-6 lead, started with a wild pitch from Krol after New Orleans’ Nick Schwaner swung at a pitch in the dirt for strike 3. He reached first and the next three Privateers’ hitters _ Drew Anderson, pinch-hitter Ryan Eden and Brandon Bowser _ followed with hits. Bowser’s, against Noah Booth, drove in two runs to give NO the lead.
Amazing.
We go to the bottom of the ninth _ New Orleans 7, Shockers 6.
That last post? Forget that one. New Orleans has scored a run in the top of the ninth to make it 6-5 Shockers and has runners at first and second with only one out. Noah Booth has come on in relief and has been entrusted to get the final two outs.
Good luck Noah.
The Shockers are in good shape, leading 6-4. Closer Noah Krol is coming on. I have to go downstairs to prepare to ask the hard-probing questions you have all come to depend on me to ask. Like: What time is lunch tomorrow? Things like that.
Will get back to you later. It’s been great.
It was a real battle, but the Shockers finally got over the hill and took a 6-4 lead against New Orleans in the seventh inning.
It took an interference call at third base, an error and some questionable decisions by the Privateers, but WSU is up.
With five consecutive left-handed hitters _ Damon Sublett, Matt Brown, Conor Gillaspie, Josh Workman and Tyler Hill _ I expected NO to go to a left-hander in the seventh. But it didn’t happen, which must mean there isn’t a lefty in the pen who has earned any trust from New Orleans coach Tom Walter.
There has to be a left-hander in the game to face those left-handed hitters. But there wasn’t. I’m still scratching my head.
New Orleans finally made a pitching change and the Shockers’ Tyler Weber hit the first pitch from reliever Stephen Whalen for a game-tying single on a hit and run.
Josh Workman took off from second base and Tyler Hill from first when Weber lined his hit into left field.
I would have thought about walking Weber intentionally, even to load the bases, and pitch to struggling Dusty Coleman. It’s not conventional, I know that. First of all, it would have loaded the bases. Second, it would have put the go-ahead run at second.
But Coleman is really lacking confidence at the plate right now. I think WSU coach Gene Stephenson might have pinch-hit for Coleman. But that, too, would have benefitted New Orleans because Coleman is a key defensive cog for the Shockers.
We’re 4-4 in the seventh.
Capra could not have expected to be in this game in the second inning, after Banwart struggled. But he was and he was outstanding during 3 2/3 innings, allowing only one run and retiring the final eight New Orleans batters he faced.
Capra was pulled before the sixth inning because the Shockers want him to be available somewhere down the line in this regional. You can understand that thinking, but it’s a risk if the rest of the WSU bullpen doesn’t keep this game where it is.
Personally, I think it’s the right call because WSU’s bullpen is rich in talent, even more so now that Capra is going to pitch out of the pen during this regional.
Didn’t exactly happen. In fact, the top of the Shockers’ batting order went down 1-2-3 in the fifth inning against Cryer. But I’m telling you, just a couple of inches here or there on some of the balls the Shockers hit and we’d be talking about a huge rally.
Still 4-3, UNO.
It’s 4-3 New Orleans, but the Shockers’ bats are alive. If I were New Orleans coach Tom Walter, I’d replace the starting pitcher, Cryer, with a left-hander to offset all of the left-handed bats in the Wichita State lineup.
That’s what I would do.
Walter, though, has nobody warming up in the Privateers’ bullpen so I’m predicting a big WSU uprising in the fifth. Remember my last prediction, about Banwart being outstanding tonight for the Shockers? So take this one for what it’s worth.
New Orleans pitcher Bryan Cryer is a gamer. But he’s a two-pitch pitcher who doesn’t have anything that is overpowering so the Shockers are beginning to get to him here in the third.
They loaded the bases on two hits and a hit batsman before Damon Sublett delivered a big one-out, bases-loaded single to cut New Orleans’ lead to 4-2.
Cryer isn’t long for this game because he’s not difficult to adjust to. The first time through the Shockers’ order, he had hitters off balanced. Now, not so much.
It looked like Matt Brown’s blast into center field with two on would leave the park. But the wind is blowing in and New Orleans’ Brandon Bowser was able to track down the ball then throw to second for an easy double play after WSU’s Derek Schermerhorn had bolted for home, causing Gene Stephenson to stand in the third-base coaching box for a few extra seconds after the inning ended. He didn’t stay there because he was happy, but because he didn’t have a clue as to what Schermerhorn was thinking.
It’s still very early in this game, but I have picked up on something that should concern Wichita State fans.
New Orleans is good.
And aggressive. The Privateers are playing as if they want this game really badly. They’re aggressive, yet patient, at the plate. They’re going wild on the basepaths. They’re getting really good swings at Wichita State pitchers. And while it’s only 4-0 and it’s only the third inning, things need to change fairly quickly.