WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State banged out a season-high 16 hits and used a seven-run fourth inning to run-rule Tulane 18-8 in eight innings on Saturday afternoon at Eck Stadium. 

Xavier Casserilla finished with two home runs and a career-high seven RBI, and three other Shockers recorded at least three hits on the day.

It was not a promising start to the day for the Shockers (18-32) who fell into a quick 5-0 hole. Tulane struck for four runs in the first inning against starter Adam Ketelsen, with Teo Banks delivering a two-out, two-run double to cap the scoring. Brady Hebert launched a solo homer in the top of the second to extend the lead to 5-0.

Wichita State erased the deficit in the bottom of the third. Seth Stroh opened the inning with a booming solo homer off the video board in left, and then three straight Shockers doubled with two outs to score four more runs. Payton Tolle plated two with a liner just inside the first base line, Andrew Stewart drove him home with a bloop into shallow left that fell in, and Ross Cadena tied the game with a ground-rule double down the left field line.

Tolle notched a career-best four hits on the day, driving in three.

Tulane (30-21-1) quickly took the lead back in the top of the fourth when Brady Marget singled home a run to make it 6-5.

The decisive bottom of the fourth started with three straight singles from Stroh, Chuck Ingram, and Brock Rodden, but the next two Shockers were retired. Tolle delivered in the clutch with a two-run single through the hole at short, giving Wichita State their first lead at 7-6. After two walks forced home another run, Casserilla hammered the first pitch he saw from reliever Carter Robinson over 21st Street for his first career grand slam. The blast traveled a Trackman-confirmed 446 feet, giving the Shockers a 12-6 lead.

The Green Wave scratched out a run in the fifth on an RBI groundout from Jared Hart, but Casserilla had the response in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run homer over the video board, pushing the lead to 15-7.

Trevor Minder doubled home a run in the top of the seventh for Tulane to cut the deficit back to 15-8. A pair of wild pitches brought home two runs in the seventh, then Ingram walked it off with a double in the eighth to score Stroh from second and trigger the run-rule.

Cameron Bye (5-1) picked up the win for the Shockers, while Keaton Knueppel (1-1) was saddled with the loss. Bye went six innings in relief, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out four.

The Shockers and Green Wave conclude the series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Eck Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 pm.