The 2026 American Baseball Championship delivered a fireworks display on Tuesday night as No. 7 Wichita State edged No. 4 UAB 14‑12 in a high‑scoring elimination game at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida.
Both squads combined for 36 hits over nine innings, trading blows early before the game settled into a tense back‑and‑forth that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Game Summary
Wichita State struck first with a run in the fourth, but UAB answered with a three‑run burst in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two‑run homer from Andrew Hunt and an RBI triple by Baylor Roberts. The Shockers tied the score in the fourth with RBI singles from Jayson Jones and Owen Washburn.
A pivotal seventh inning saw Wichita State explode for six runs, including a solo homer by Ethan Gonzalez, while UAB countered with two runs, featuring a solo shot from JP Head. The momentum shifted again in the eighth when Washburn delivered an RBI single and Nolan Ganter added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to two.
What’s Next
The victory sets up a showdown between Wichita State and the No. 2 seed East Carolina, with the winner advancing to face top‑seeded UTSA for the championship. Both teams will look to ride the late‑game heroics into the final.