On its senior weekend, Wichita State’s softball team was able to win its fourth straight series against an American Athletic Conference opponent.
WSU took two of three games from Charlotte in Wilkins Stadium, its fifth time taking two of three games in its last six series. The Shockers have not swept a conference opponent all season.
With the series win, the Shockers’ record rose to 26-22-1 and 13-10-1 in AAC play, while the 49ers fell to 14-10.
The series had multiple high-scoring games, which WSU head coach Kristi Bredbenner attributed to the strength of WSU and Charlotte’s offenses.
“Both good hitting teams, and I mean to be honest with you, it was just going to be whoever could continue to keep getting the big hits,” Bredbenner said.
The series win had postseason implications for WSU. The top four teams in the conference receive first and second-round byes in the AAC Championship. Charlotte currently controls the four-seed, and the series win brought the Shockers to within a half-game of that spot with one series to go in the regular season.
Graduate student Lauren Lucas said the series win came against a tough opponent.
“(I) think we worked really hard to get those wins,” Lucas said. “They are two very good team wins, and we didn’t let losing the game last night carry into today, and we (turned) it around.”
The first two games of the series were a doubleheader on Friday. Between games one and two, the senior weekend ceremony was held.
The Shockers honored five players: Krystin Nelson, Caroline Tallent, Camryn Compton, Ellee Eck and Lucas.
“They (the seniors) deserve all the recognition,” Bredbenner said. “They have been through the grind. Some have been here one year and some have been here five years and everything in between.”
Wichita State’s players appreciated seeing friends and family at the game for the ceremony.
“It was awesome,” Eck said. “I’ve seen so many people I don’t really keep up with anymore; they still wanted to come out and see me.”
“It was a really special moment,” Lucas said. “You put a lot of time in, and you really appreciate that people appreciate you putting that time in.”
Game one
The Shockers were able to get a 7-3 win to start their senior weekend. Graduate students Eck and Lucas got the scoring started with back-to-back home runs to begin the game.
Eck’s homer was her fourth in as many at-bats.
“I just try to stay consistent to what I’ve always done,” Eck said. “And recently, I don’t know what it is, what’s in the water I’ve been drinking, but things have been going really well.”
Junior Jodie Epperson added two RBIs with a single in the first inning and a home run in the third.
The Shockers scored their final three runs with the help of an error from the 49ers and four wild pitches.
Wichita State had a chance to end the game early via run rule in the fifth inning, up 7-0. The winning run was on third base, but senior Krystin Nelson lined out to first base, which ended the inning.
Then, in the sixth, two straight errors from junior shortstop Sami Hood put two 49ers runners on base, and they capitalized on it by hitting a three-run home run, ensuring the game went the distance.
Freshman pitcher Ryley Nihart got the start and only had one earned run in a complete-game outing.
Going into the seventh inning, Nihart had yet to coerce a strikeout, but in her final inning of work, she fanned two batters. This included a final strikeout looking, which was met with dismay from Charlotte’s head coach, Courtney Breault.
Game two
Back-to-back three-run innings from the 49ers downed the Shockers in game two of the Friday doubleheader, 10-8.
The Shockers got on the board first when Lucas bunted, the ball was thrown away by the Charlotte first-baseman and Eck crossed the plate. Later in the first, Lucas scored on a bunt by Compton.
In the second and third innings, Charlotte scored six runs on four hits, three walks and an error. The Shockers were able to strike by hitting back-to-back home runs for the second straight game.
Lucas homered to center and junior Taylor Sedlacek followed with a big hit to right field. After going runless in the fourth, the 49ers ended their final three innings with at least one run in each.
Going into the bottom of the seventh, the Shockers were down, 10-4. They started the inning by hitting three straight singles to give them one run. Sedlacek followed up with a three-run homer to left-center.
The next three Shockers all grounded out to the left side of the infield, which ended the game.
Game three
Shocker fans had to wait a little longer than expected for the final game of the series to start, but after a 90-minute rain delay, the Shockers took the rubber match of the series, 9-6.
To start the game, Eck reached base safely as the leadoff hitter for the third consecutive time in the series. This time, it was a walk.
“When I lead off, my job is to get on base,” Eck said. “I try to hit line drives for the most part and I pick a side of the plate and only swing at strikes and hope for the best.”
Lucas homered for the fourth-straight game to give the Shockers the lead. This was the ninth-straight game where the Shockers scored in the first frame.
“The early offense is key,” Bredbenner said. “That’s the biggest thing for us, our percentage (of wins when) we score first is pretty high.”
When the Shockers score in the first, they have a record of 16-5 this season.
Later on in the first inning, like déjà vu, Sedlacek followed up Lucas with a home run of her own, which mirrored what happened the game before.
“It’s really special,” Lucas said. “Because it forces people to pitch us one through nine and when everybody’s hitting well, they can’t pitch around someone. Taylor is having a great year, and it is allowing for me to have a great year.”
“I think they (Lucas and Sedlacek) thrive off of each other,” Bredbenner said. “It always seems like that back-to-back power there gets the momentum going.”
The 49ers responded with three runs of their own in the next two innings to tie the game. Nihart made her second start of the weekend and, in the fourth inning, she tied a career-high in strikeouts.
Nihart has been the iron woman of WSU’s pitching staff during conference play. She’s started two games in all but one of WSU’s conference series and routinely goes deep into games. WSU is 9-4-1 in AAC games Nihart has started in the circle.
Lucas hit her fourth home run of the series and second of the night to give the Shockers the lead back in the fourth. The Shockers added one more run in the fourth on a Compton double.
After the double, the 49ers switched pitchers. Epperson welcomed the new pitcher by hitting a home run on the first pitch she saw. The Shockers kept the scoring rolling with a little league home run by freshman Brookelyn Livanec, a triple where she scored on a throwing error.
In the fifth, the Shockers called in freshman Ava Sliger from the bullpen, who closed out the game in a shaky fashion. Sliger allowed three runs in her first inning of work. In the sixth, the 49ers brought the tying run to the plate but grounded into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.
Bredbenner said the team’s defense played well throughout the game.
After going 0-3 in the previous series finale against Tulsa, Lucas has hit 7-12, five home runs and nine RBIs in her most recent four games.
Wichita State will play Kansas in its final midweek game of the season. The first pitch against the Jayhawks is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, at Wilkins Stadium.
