Wichita State’s softball continued its rocky start in true road games this season with a 5-0 loss against Texas State University on Wednesday night.
The zero in the score sheet is the fourth time the Shockers have been blanked so far this season. WSU failed to score a run in only five games all of last year.
With the loss, the Shockers are now 13-14 overall this season and 2-5 in true road games. The Bobcats’ record rose to 19-6 overall and they’re now riding a seven-game winning streak.
After a solid outing last weekend, freshman Ava Sliger was hit hard in the circle against Texas State. Sliger gave up five runs in five innings pitched, with the Bobcats scoring in the second and fifth innings.
In the second, Texas State scored two runs from an RBI single and double in back-to-back at bats. In the fifth, the Bobcats upped the ante with back-to-back homers, which slotted them with their third, fourth and fifth runs of the game.
Freshman Ryley Nihart stepped in during the sixth inning for Sliger and faced five batters in the inning.
The Shockers’ bats were stymied as they only made only three hits in 21 at bats. Graduate students Ellee Eck and Lauren Lucas and freshman Brookelyn Livanec were the only WSU players to reach base with their bats. Lucas was the only Shocker who got walked.
Lucas made her hit in the first inning but was later caught stealing to retire the side and was walked in the seventh. In the fourth, Eck hit a leadoff single but junior Taylor Sedlacek grounded into a double play that forced Eck out.
Livanec made WSU’s last hit with another leadoff single in the sixth inning but was left stranded.
The .143 (3-21) batting average is the fourth-lowest mark the Shockers have hit so far this season.
Wichita State will stay in Texas and look to get back in the win column with a series against the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) from Friday, March 21 to Sunday, March 23. The first pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m.
