Softball faces shut-out in series opener, drops two games to No. 18 Missouri

To wash the bad taste from their mouths after losing two games to Evansville, Wichita State knew that one, if not two, wins would help forget about their performance over the past weekend. The Shockers were not able to end their losing streak, dropping two games to No. 18 Missouri, losing the first game 11-0, and the second game 9-2.

Tiger pitchers forced the Shockers to hit .211 in Columbia, Missouri, on Wednesday while hitting .441 to claim the sweep. The two losses puts WSU’s record at 1-8 versus teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI, all coming from non conference play.

The first game of the doubleheader looked as if WSU was going to be in a tight match with Missouri. Junior Jenni Brooks saved WSU from early trouble in the bottom of the first inning, forcing a strikeout and groundout with runners left on second and third base.

Missouri responded with an 11-0 scoring run, hitting .454 on the game. After a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning, the Tigers scored four more runs off of two singles and a double, giving them a 6-0 lead at the end of the second inning.

Two home runs and an RBI double gave Missouri five more runs in the bottom of the third inning, and forced the Shockers into a shutout in five innings winning 11-0 in Game 1.

Wichita State managed five hits in 19 at bats, hitting .263 for the first game. Brooks took her sixth loss of the season in the Shocker’s Game 1 defeat.

Game 2 looked like it was going Missouri’s way again, scoring four runs off of three singles in the bottom of the second inning after an RBI single in the first inning. The Tigers jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.

Redshirt senior Cacy Williams hit a two-run home run to right field in the top of the fourth inning to cut the deficit 6-2. A home run in the fourth inning and two walks with the bases loaded extended Missouri’s lead and gave the Shocker’s their fourth straight loss 9-2.

Williams hit two of the Shocker’s four hits in the second game, hitting .160 as a team in 25 at bats. Junior Katie Malone pitched three innings with one strikeout as she took the loss on Wednesday, putting her overall record at 8-6.

WSU (21-18, 7-5) returns home to face Bradley,  with a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday starting at noon at Wilkins Stadium. The Shockers are tied with Bradley for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Southern Illinois stands at second with a 7-4 conference record and Drake leads the pack with an 11-0 record in conference play.