With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was in Trinity Allen’s hands.
Tied at two runs, Allen stepped up and hit a home run to lift the Wichita State softball team over Florida Atlantic on Friday night, 3-2. The Shockers extended their win streak to six games in the process.
“Trin’s just a battler,” WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “She’s not always going to get up there and hit a home run, but she’s got that power that she’s capable of.
“To me, anytime we can put her at the top of the lineup, she works a good count, she gets a good pitch, and kind of sets a tone.”
Wichita State is 17-10 and 5-2 early on in American Conference play. Since joining the league, the Owls have beaten the Shockers in five of their eight meetings, which included a sweep last season.
“I think it’s awesome. It’s really great. It’s a good momentum booster for us,” Allen said after the game.
“I know last year we weren’t very successful against them. So just coming out here, especially at home, getting the win in game one is really crucial for winning the series.”
The bottom of the seventh started promising for WSU with a single by senior shortstop Chloe Rhine, but freshman Mackenzie Rooney hit into a double play, leaving bases empty. Allen hit the walk-off home run on the second pitch that she saw.
“Honestly, I didn’t think too much,” Allen said about her approach. “I was just thinking, ‘Get on base, get a hit.’
“It’s not the end of the world. If we had to go to an extra inning, (then) we had to go to an extra inning. It wasn’t that deep.”
The game started with runs being at a premium, with nobody crossing the plate for three-and-a-half innings. FAU threatened to score in the top of the fourth, but a lineout and throw to second from Wichita State’s defense ended the inning.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth that the seal was broken, as freshman infielder Kinzey Woody smacked a home run over the left field fence.
Woody was the Shockers’ designated player for seven games before transitioning to third base. Bredbenner said the switch has given Woody more confidence.
“I think that sometimes Woody plays better when she’s playing defense than when she’s the DH (designated hitter),” she said. “When she’s the DH, sometimes you overthink hitting, and you don’t have that other thing that changes her mind.”
FAU took its first lead in the top of the sixth on a two-run triple hit to shallow right field, but it was short-lived as sophomore catcher Gabby Scott hit a lead-off home run to tie the game at two apiece in the Shockers’ half of the inning.
After Scott’s home run, FAU turned to its bullpen and brought out Ainsley Lambert, the conference leader in saves with six this season. Lambert allowed a single but retired the next three batters to keep the score even.
The Owls loaded the bases with two outs, but a ground ball hit right back to the pitcher ended the inning.
WSU’s starting pitcher, sophomore Ryley Nihart, pitched out of danger all game long. Nihart only had one inning where she left no one on base. Nihart left Owls 11 runners on base and struck four of them out for her seventh win of the season.
“Today, I really tried to stay more in tune with my body and what I was doing,” Nihart said. “I think that is what got me out of it in a lot of cases.”
Bredbenner said Nihart’s ability to get out of jams, especially as an underclassman, shows a lot of composure.
“She’s only a sophomore; a lot of people forget about that,” Bredbenner said. “Sophomore year is your toughest year, because there’s a whole year of film on you.
“You’re trying to be who you were last year, but only a little bit better, plus you got all this film on you.”
The series will continue at 4:00 p.m. Saturday after the Shockers’ walk-off win to open it.
“Tomorrow’s a new day for everybody,” Bredbenner said. “This is awesome, and hopefully it creates a little bit of momentum for us tomorrow. But they’re going to come back, and they’re going to compete, and tomorrow, it doesn’t matter what happened today.”
