Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics
WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State softball team swept their doubleheader to begin their fall season on Saturday at Wilkins Stadium, defeating Seminole State College 5-0 during game one and won 3-2 against Johnson County CC in game two.
Katie Malone earned the win for the Shockers in game one against the Trojans. Malone pitched five innings while allowing only one hit and struck out nine. Through the first four innings of the game, Malone had a no-hitter and didn’t give up her first hit until the top of the fifth.
Also during the first four innings of the game, Malone tallied eight of her nine strikeouts including striking out the side in the top of the second and the top of the third.
Ashlynne Neil earned the win in game two for the Shockers. The transfer from the College of San Mateo (San Mateo, Calif.) pitched the final three innings and allowed just three hits.
Liz Broyles went 2-3 with a RBI to lead the Shocker offense during game one against the Trojans while Paige Mason led the Shockers in game two against the Cavaliers. Mason went 2-3 with a HR, RBI and a run scored against Johnson County CC.
Game 1—Seminole State College vs. Wichita State
Wichita State scored runs in each of the first four innings in route to their 5-0 victory against Seminole State College. The Shockers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first after Maclin Hitz doubled on a pop fly that fell between first base and right field, scoring Paige Luellen from first.
A double-steal gave the Shockers a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second after Layne Greenlee stole home and Melanie Jaegers stole second. Jaegers was thrown out seconds later at third base after an attempt to advance an extra base.
During the bottom of the third, Liz Broyles singled, scoring Cacy Williams to give the Shockers a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Williams reached on an error that scored Ashley Johnson, extending the Shocker advantage to 4-0. Kelli Spring hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring McKenzie Adams to push the WSU lead to the 5-0 final score.
Game 2—Johnson County CC vs. Wichita State
Williams hit a RBI double that scored Spring in the bottom of the first, giving the Shockers a quick 1-0 lead. Paige Mason hit her first home run of the fall during the bottom of the second to increase the Shocker lead to 2-0.
Johnson County answered with a run in the top of the fourth and top of the fifth to tie the game at two apiece.
During the top of the fourth, Samantha Kriessler hit a RBI double to score Kaytlyn Briegge that cut the Shocker lead to 2-1. Taylor Hicks drove in Hayden Roberts with a RBI single in the top of the fifth to pull the Cavaliers even with the Shockers.
Wichita State scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth after Michelle Dixon grounded out to third, allowing Jaegers to score. This gave the Shockers a 3-2 lead that eventually became the final score.
Wichita State head coach Kristi Bredbenner thought the Shockers played decent, but could have played better.
“I thought today was alright,” Bredbenner said. “The first games are always tough in the fall. From switching a lot of student-athletes around to everyone being anxious and a little bit nervous, I thought that showed today. There was a lot of anxiousness at the plate and not a lot of adjustments were made.
“Defensively, I thought we played great the first game but struggled during the second game. A lot of that goes with inexperience, lineup changes and moving student-athletes in and out. I thought the pitchers pitched pretty well today. While they were my bright point, we still have a long ways to go and a long season to prepare for. For the start, it wasn’t too bad.”
To view Bredbenner’s thoughts about Saturday’s action, click on the 9/13 weekend recap video in the related links section above.
The Shockers will host their annual alumni game on Saturday, September 20 inside Wilkins Stadium at 1 p.m. On September 27, Wichita State will then face Northern Oklahoma College-Enid at noon and Tulsa at 4 p.m.at Wilkins Stadium.
