Wichita State softball had a shot at tying a program record 13th straight win against Kansas.
Instead, the Shockers fell into an early hole that they couldn’t fight out of Tuesday evening at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, resulting in a 10-0 run-rule loss after five innings that ended their win streak at 12.
Even though Wichita State fell to 32-16 and dropped a game on the road that could’ve boosted its RPI, that doesn’t mean it is out of position for a return to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year drought.
It just makes the path more difficult.
The Shockers entered Tuesday’s game ranked No. 44 in the RPI, which will likely take a dip after the loss to the No. 49-ranked Jayhawks, who improved to 33-16.
WSU’s regular season ends this weekend with a three-game home series beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday against No. 199-ranked Memphis — meaning that sweeping the Tigers now seems necessary in order to stay afloat in the at-large territory.
The Shockers do have the luxury of having locked up at least the No. 2 seed at the American Conference Championship after last weekend’s sweep at North Texas, however.
The Mean Green, which are third in the league standings at 14-10, will not be able to jump the Shockers’ position no matter what happens this weekend. At 18-6, WSU created enough separation before the regular season ended.
Finishing the regular season in first or second place in the conference this season also has the added benefit of earning a bye all the way to the tournament semifinals.
The road for the Shockers, now with less margin for error, is clearer.
One option is to sweep last-place Memphis and avoid a bigger dip in the RPI. Then, make a run in the conference tournament that leaves an impression on the selection committee if they don’t claim the conference title.
The second is to go into Greenville, N.C., and earn an automatic berth by winning it all.
It seems now that at least one of those options will have to work out if WSU wants a return to the NCAA Tournament because Tuesday was far from a strong showing, as Kansas jumped on the Shockers’ pitching early to complete its season sweep.
Sophomore Ryley Nihart started in the circle for WSU and was pulled after 25 pitches and no outs. She was tagged with the loss and credited for the Jayhawks’ first five runs.
Senior Jade Sanders came in for relief and got the Shockers into the second inning, where they went down 1-2-3 during their turn at the plate. KU opened up a 6-0 advantage in its go-around by way of a solo home run from shortstop Hailey Cripe.
The Jayhawks didn’t score a run again until the fourth inning, when sophomore Gabby Fakes stepped onto the bump and allowed the four runs that put the game into run-rule territory.
Even with a leadoff single from graduate outfielder Johnna Schroeder in the fifth, the Shockers couldn’t find solid contact at the plate as the next three batters went down in order to end the game.
After collecting 118 hits as a team during the 12-game winning streak, WSU was contained to just a 3-for-17 outing in the batter’s box against the Jayhawks.
With the minimal offense and shaky pitching, the best thing the Shockers can do now is stick to what’s in front of them — and it begins this weekend.
