Trailing by a run in the fourth inning against the University of Central Arkansas, Wichita State softball senior Camryn Compton stepped up to the plate with two outs and a runner on first base. She then sent a shot over the left field wall to give the Shockers their first lead.
Wichita State used the momentum Compton gave the team and tacked on four more runs in the fifth and sixth innings, not looking back to win its Tuesday evening matchup against the Bears, 6-1.
“I think that started a good little run for us and we needed that,” Compton said. “So it was fun just to get that hit and know that my team is going to be behind me to score some more.”
Senior Lauren Lucas agreed and said Compton’s two-run shot gave the Shockers the confidence to get out of their deficit.
“I think a lot of us … might have been starting to get a little nervous … And so I think then having a two-out home run put us up,” Lucas said. “I think (that) gave the rest of the lineup some confidence and, you know, really helped for the rest of the game.”
With the win, the Shockers improved their record to 16-15 overall, while Central Arkansas’ record dropped to 14-16 on the season.
Compton finished the game 1-2 with two RBIs. Over the last four games, Compton is hitting 5-10 with 13 RBIs and four home runs.
Head coach Kristi Bredbenner said Compton, who missed the previous season due to injury, is “finally just kind of relaxing and playing softball.”
“She’s just swinging at good pitches and really getting some good barrels on it,” Bredbenner said. “I mean, in the last five games, I think she’s got four or five home runs, and just has been really selective with picking pitches. And I mean, (she’s) just knocking the ball out of the park.”
Lucas said Compton has found a new confidence in her game.
“At the beginning of the season, when you’re not sure if you’re winning the (starting) spot or not, you know every little mistake that you make, you feel like comes back to haunt you,” Lucas said. “And so I think once she knew that, you know, she’s kind of locked herself in, she felt free to swing. And boy has she.”
Wichita State scored all six of its runs in two-out situations, which Bredbenner said was huge for the team during the win.
“That was our kryptonite this past weekend against UTSA,” Bredbenner said. “And I think even (against) Texas State, they scored a lot with two outs. And you know, you don’t want to let up. And I think that was big for us — is just continuing to keep having good at bats.”
In the fifth, Lucas hit an RBI double, advancing senior Krystin Nelson to third base. On the very next at bat, freshman Brookelyn Livanec split the gap in left-center field, resulting in a two-RBI double. Sophomore Sami Hood hit a solo home run in the sixth that barely snuck around the left field foul pole, which was the final run of the game.
The Shockers’ pitching complemented the offensive surge in the middle innings. Freshman Ryley Nihart started in the circle and gave up two hits, including a leadoff home run in the second inning before forcing out the next five Bears batters.
She was hit by a line drive during the third, allowing the Central Arkansas batter to reach first base on a single and taking Nihart out of the game.
Nihart was on crutches after the game, but Bredbenner said she hoped it was “just a bruise.”
“She got hit pretty hard,” Bredbenner said. “More in the meaty part of the leg and not necessarily in the front of the shin. So, we’ll see. We’ll know a little bit tomorrow about her situation, but she’s, you know, not putting a ton of weight on it.”
Freshman Ava Sliger came in for relief and earned her fourth win on the mound this season while pitching 4 ⅓ innings, giving up no runs on two hits and striking out two batters. In the sixth and seventh innings, Sliger made Central Arkansas go 1-2-3 to put away the game.
When Sliger came into the game, Bredbenner thought she was jittery and nervous given the situation.
“As a freshman, I don’t know that they truly understand when there’s an injury situation with a pitcher that you’ve got all the time in the world to get warmed up,” Bredbenner said. “And so I think she escaped that inning, not fully ready to go, but really settled in nice. I thought she did a really nice job. Kept the ball down, you know, just really executed some really good pitches.
“I mean, she’s been pitching great, you know, I think the biggest thing for her is that, you know, she keeps the ball at the knees and really pounds the corners. And, you know, I thought she did a great job today.”
Wichita State will play its second of five games this week in Wilkins Stadium against the No. 2 University of Oklahoma on Wednesday, March 26. The first pitch against the highest-ranked team the Shockers have faced this season will be at 6 p.m.
