SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Wichita State used a pair of home runs to erase a two-run deficit against Missouri State, then scored five times in the top of the 10th inning to secure a 9-4 victory over the Bears in the first non-conference meeting of the two clubs in 29 years Tuesday evening at Hammons Field.

After narrowly escaping defeat by turning away a bases-loaded Missouri State rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Shockers (22-26) sent 10 hitters to the plate in the decisive 10th, using a two-run double by Paxton Wallace and four-consecutive two-out hits to put the game on ice.

Wallace started WSU's comeback from a 4-2 deficit with a fourth-inning solo shot to slice the lead to one run, then delivered the game's critical blow with a one-out liner just inside the bag at third off MSU closer Connor Sechler (2-5), after Jacob Katzfey singled and Luke Ritter drew an intentional walk to start the 10th.

Ritter was responsible for the game-tying solo blast with one out in the eighth after MSU relievers Ben Cruikshank and Nick Schmidt had combined to limit WSU to one run over the previous 4 1/3 innings.

The WSU victory, made possible by the work of four Shocker relievers who combined to strike out 11 Bears while holding MSU scoreless over the final eight innings, stopped a seven-game skid against the Bears at Hammons Field and a four-game losing streak in the series overall.

Wichita State jumped on top with a two-run third inning, using a pair of hit batsmen to engineer the game's first scoring rally. MSU starting pitcher Zach Gibbs plunked Ross Cadena to start the inning, and Jake Plastiak's base hit put runners on the corners with nobody out. Jordan Boyer bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, bringing in Cadena from third with the first tally of the night.

Katzfey kept the Wichita State rally alive by drawing another free pass when Gibbs located the Shocker center fielder's right shin with a 2-1 pitch. Katzfey then swiped second and came around to score on Ritter's single through the right side of the MSU infield for a 2-0 WSU lead.

MSU responded with a big inning of its own in the home half, after Jack Duffy's leadoff single started a string of four consecutive Bears reaching base to start the rally. After John Privitera gained a free pass after being struck by a Tommy Barnhouse pitch, Drew Millas delivered a base hit to load the bases. Dakota Kotowski knotted the score with a two-run chopper through the left side, chasing home both Duffy and Privitera.

WSU reliever Preston Snavely recovered to strike out two of the next three Bears, but a pair of Shocker errors on Sam Faith's grounder allowed Millas and Kotowski to come around with the go-ahead runs for a 4-2 Bears advantage.

The Bears (15-32) squandered several chances to add to their lead, battling both lightning—which caused a 38-minute delay in a game that extended beyond the four-hour mark—and an enigmatic strike zone, ultimately leaving 13 runners on base in the contest. MSU appeared poised to walk off with a victory in the ninth after loading the bases with one out on a Millas single and bases on balls to Kotowski and Anthony Herron, Jr.

Pinch hitter Jordan Fitzpatrick then worked a 3-0 count against Shocker closer Mitchell Walters (2-4) and appeared to have drawn the game-clinching walk on the ensuing offering. But home plate umpire Ramon Hernandez saw it differently, calling the Bears sophomore out on a pair of shoestring strikes for the second out, before punching out Faith as well to end the inning.

Three different Missouri State players or coaches were ejected in the aftermath, after Shocker head coach Todd Butler was tossed in the top of the fifth inning following a disputed interference call at first base.

Sechler shouldered the loss after allowing all five WSU runs in the 10th, after Schmidt permitted one run on three hits in a career-long 4.0 innings. Duffy led MSU with a three-hit night, and Millas added a 2-for-5 performance, extending his career-best on-base streak to 21 consecutive games.

Ritter led WSU's 14-hit attack with a 3-for-4 night, and Wallace tallied three RBIs for the Shockers.

Missouri State will travel to Evansville for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series, beginning with a 6 p.m. (CDT) contest Friday (May 10) at Braun Stadium.