Senior Camryn Compton stepped up to the plate in the sixth inning of the second round of the American Athletic Conference Championship with the game tied at two runs. She then sent a three-run home run to help propel Wichita State softball to a 5-2 win against Tulsa on Wednesday afternoon.
For the third straight year, No. 5 WSU faced the No. 8 Golden Hurricane in the AAC tournament. Tulsa knocked out WSU in 2023 and the Shockers returned the favor last year.
After the game, Compton was interviewed about her performance on ESPN+.
“It’s a big moment,” Compton said. “But you’d have to stay calm and collected, and it only takes one swing, but sometimes you can get too big. So, just had to really slow my mind down and get a pitch I could hit well.”
The Shockers, at 29-24-1, ended Tulsa’s season with a 21-33 record.
Wichita State will move on to face No. 4 North Texas in the quarterfinals of the AAC Championship on Thursday afternoon.
Compton’s hit was one of just four for the Shockers all day. Wichita State was out-hit by Tulsa, and the Golden Hurricane put 10 batters on base to WSU’s six. However, the Shockers were able to manufacture runs when it mattered.
Tulsa struck first on a throwing error made by Compton.
Tulsa doubled their lead in the next inning by hitting a home run to left field. Freshman Brookelyn Livanec picked up the Shockers’ first hit as she hit a leadoff single to start the third inning. Livanec went around to score the first run for the Shockers on a single hit by graduate student Ellee Eck.
Junior Taylor Sedlacek started the fourth inning with a double to center field. Sedlacek advanced to third on a bunt and tagged from third on a flyout to try to score the tying run.
She was initially called out as the Tulsa right fielder gunned her down — however, WSU head coach Kristi Bredbenner challenged the call because of obstruction by the Tulsa catcher. Wichita State won the challenge and Sedlacek scored the game-tying run.
Tulsa was able to hit a lead-off double to start the fifth inning, but left the tying run stranded on third.
In the sixth, Compton made up for her early error by hitting the go-ahead three-run homer.
Tulsa, down to its final three outs, started the seventh inning with a lead-off double on the first pitch of the frame. Then, the next batter followed the double with a four-pitch walk. Tulsa brought up senior Maci Cole — the team’s leading home run hitter — as the tying run, but Cole flew out to left.
The next Tulsa batter hit a single, loading the bases. However, the game ended when the next two Tulsa batters fouled out to the left side of the infield.
Co-AAC Freshman of the Year Ryley Nihart pitched a complete game, giving up only one earned run.
The game against North Texas is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Tampa, Florida. The Shockers won the series against the Mean Green in the regular season.
The winner of that game will face No. 1 Florida Atlantic on Friday.
