Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics
WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita State scored seven runs in the first two innings and got another quality start from Clark Candiotti, racing past Memphis 12-3 on Friday night at Eck Stadium.
It was an early onslaught for the Shocker offense against Memphis starter JT Durham (3-3), who was tagged for nine hits and seven runs in just 1.1 innings of work. RBI singles from Garrett Pennington, Mauricio Millan and Sawyre Thornhill made it 3-0 in the first, then WSU used a combination of power and speed to blow the game open in the second. A double steal from Jack Little and Chuck Ingram led to a Memphis throwing error, scoring Little for a 4-0 advantage. After a walk put two Shockers aboard, Pennington sliced an opposite field, three-run homer down the line in right for a 7-0 cushion.
Pennington has now tied Brock Rodden for the team lead with 12 home runs, and drove in four runs for the third time in the last eight games to give him 43 RBI for the season.
The 7-0 lead was plenty for Wichita State starter Clark Candiotti (7-2), who turned in another solid performance to win his sixth straight start and seventh straight decision. Candiotti allowed three runs on six hits over 6.0 innings, striking out six and walking two.
Payton Tolle connected for a mammoth solo home run in the fourth, a tape-measure shot that left the stadium and bounced into the parking lot beyond the right field fence. Tolle's blast made it 8-1 Wichita State, and the Shockers put the game out of reach for good with four runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single from David Herring and a two-run double from Rodden. The Shockers banged out four doubles for the game, extending their conference-best mark to 95 two-baggers.
Millan extended his hitting streak to 17 games, one of five Shockers to record a multi-hit effort.
Jace Miner turned in two scoreless innings out of the Wichita State bullpen, and Matt Wilkinson closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Shockers and Tigers continue the series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Eck Stadium is scheduled for 2:00 pm.