Wichita State started their fall softball schedule at home with an 18-3 victory over Southern Nazarene on Saturday.

The Shockers jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings.

WSU starting pitcher Bailey Lange held the Crimson Storm in check in her return from a leg injury that kept her benched last season.

“At the end of the day, [Lange] is a great pitcher and somebody we missed last year,” Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner said of her senior pitcher. “For her to be able to have this second chance opportunity to come back and play another senior year, it’s nothing but excitement for us.

“We will try to keep her healthy and get her back in the swing of things.”

During top of the fifth inning, a two-run home run cut the Shockers’ lead to four.

Lauren Mills answered back for the Shockers with two-run shot to dead center field to make it an 8-2 game.

After the Shockers tacked on three more, freshman Bailey Urban put the game away with a grand slam to deep left-center. Senior Madison Perrigan also added a home run for WSU.

“Any fall ball game is a good game for us to play,” Bredbenner said. “They are all about us getting practice and some experience.

“I’m happy about the first game — we have a ways to go, we got a lot of things to prepare for, but that was [what] these fall games are for.”

The Shockers postponed their Sunday game against Arkansas Tech to a later date due to possible inclement weather. WSU next plays Central Oklahoma at 1 p.m. Saturday at Wilkins Stadium.