WSU 6, UNI 3 – Final. WSU is closing the gap on fourth place after Illinois State has lost two to SIU. Tomorrow is another must-win game. Two of the teams ahead of WSU (Creighton and Indiana State) visit Eck Stadium.
WSU 6, UNI 3 (top 9th) – Chris O’Brien drives in a two-out run. He saved what would have been disaster. WSU had two runners on for Letourneau. He couldn’t get a bunt down and grounded into a fielder’s choice. That’s not good. Then he got picked off first for the second out.
UNI pitching change with Baez on second and McKeever on first with no outs. Looks like Letourneau will pinch for Engrav, almost certainly to bunt. Ivan Lopez is pitching for the Panthers.
WSU 5, UNI 3 (top 9th) - Kemp gets out of the inning with no more damage by fielding his position and throwing the runner out. Whoever comes in for WSU in the bottom of the ninth will have to face the top of UNI’s order. I’m not sure if WSU sticks with Kemp, or goes to McKeever. McKeever is on deck, so he may not get much warmup time.
WSU 5, UNI 3 (bottom 8th) - Guy hits a batter to load the bases. Then he wild pitches in a run. He is out after going to a 2-0 count and Justin Kemp is in.
WSU 5, UNI 2 (bottom 8th) - Cooper is out after giving up four hits and two runs. Cobey Guy is on with two outs and runners on first and second.
WSU 5, UNI 0 (bottom 8th) - Shockers strand Lassley at second after he doubles with one out.
WSU 5, UNI 0 (top 8th) - Cooper continues to cruise. Three double plays (two started by Cooper) and a caught stealing help. Cooper has thrown 94 pitches, so I would guess he is good for one more inning. Kemp is warming up. McKeever may be an option in the ninth if Cooper comes out.
WSU 5, UNI 0 (bottom 5th) - Engrav drives in a run with a single. WSU had two on with no outs and bases loaded with two outs and didn’t score.
WSU 4, UNI 0 (bottom fourth) - UNI plays Grimes way too shallow and he dumps a triple over the right fielder to drive in two runs. With two out.
UNI starter Derek Ott is out. It looked like his right forearm bothered him. Shuhei Fujiya is warming up.
WSU 2, UNI 0 (bottom third) – Baez drives in two runs with a two-out double fair by inches past third.
0-0 after two innings. WSU pitcher Jordan Cooper struck out the side in the second.
We’re on. Light rain. Radar shows more on the way. It’s not heavy enough to be a problem. Yet.
Next game should start around 3:15 p.m.
WSU 10, UNI 7 – Final. The eight-game losing streak is over. Members of the 1970 team are still on the hook for their nine-game losing streak. Nice job by Sossamon to keep the Panthers quiet in the final two innings. Taylor Brown went 4 for 4 with an intentional walk. Ryan Engrav had two hits and two RBI. Clint McKeever doubled twice. Cody Lassley drove in two insurance runs with a double.
WSU 10, UNI 7 (bottom 9th) – WSU scores two in the eighth on Lassley’s two-run double. Sossamon is on to close.
WSU 8, UNI 7 (top 7th) - Defense bites the Shockers again. UNI scores two unearned runs following a throwing error by Baez. He did a nice job backhanding a ball. He turned and gathered himself. Then he threw high and wide to first, giving UNI a runner instead of two outs and nobody on. Not sure if the wet grass bothered Baez. But it’s a play that needs to be made.
WSU 8, UNI 5 (bottom 6th) - WSU gets a run on an error by 3B Grant Grgurich. He let a groundball by Tyler Grimes through his legs. Bret Bascue, who walked to lead off the inning, scored from second.
Northern Iowa will throw Carlos Pinedo in the resumption. He was scheduled to start Sunday. That means right-hander Brian delaTorriente is likely to start Sunday against WSU’s Charlie Lowell. WSU will stick with Remington Johnson, who got the final out of the fifth inning on Friday.
It has stopped raining, probably briefly, in Waterloo. WSU and UNI are going to resume Friday’s game at 1:30 in an attempt to get some innings in before the rain resumes. It seems inevitable it will.