PEORIA, Ill. - Wichita State (30-25) used a seven-run sixth to break open a tight game as the Shockers pushed past Bradley (22-18), 13-4, to complete the three-game sweep of the Braves at Laura Bradley Park on Sunday.

With the win, the Shockers moved to 14-7 in conference play while the Braves fell to 5-12 in Valley play.

Amanda Clack got the Braves on the board first with a two-run homer off Margo Pruis (18-12) who picked up her ninth-straight win, as the Shockers extended their road winning streak to four games.

Pruis shined in the circle, working the complete game to pick up her 73rd career win, a new Wichita State record. Pruis struck out eight while walking four in the winning effort.

Clack's third homer of the year put the Braves ahead 2-0, in the first, giving BU its first lead of the series. The Shockers answered right back with two runs in the second on three hits, after Lisa Jones scored WSU's first run of the day on a sacrifice fly by Kara L'Huillier. Erin Peters came around to tie the game on an infield single by Katie McGeeney after Bradley catcher Sara Loete dropped the throw to home, putting the Shockers back into the game a half inning after Clack's two-run blast gave Bradley its first runs of the weekend.

WSU took the lead in the fourth when a lead-off walk by Stephanie De La Riva turned into a run after Katie McGeeney lifted a ball to deep center to bring home De La Riva on the sacrifice fly, giving the Shockers a 3-2 lead.

Pruis (19-11) notched a career milestone in the fourth, becoming just the third pitcher in MVC history to record her 800th strikeout. Pruis, the all-time strikeout leader at Wichita State, had 13 strikeouts on Saturday to tie her career mark.

The Shockers tacked on another run in the fifth when Cynthia Verhulst lifted an Ashley Birdsong pitch over the right field fence for her 12th homer of the season, one shy of the single-season record. Verhulst's 17th career blast gave the Shockers a 4-2 lead.

L'Huillier chased Birdsong in the sixth with her first collegiate home run, taking a pitch over the left field fence to give the Shockers a 5-2 lead. Birdsong finished the day with 5.1 innings of work, giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out four in the losing effort.

The Shockers added six more in what would be a seven-run sixth, putting the game out of reach. WSU added two in the seventh to score the most runs, 13, of the season.

WSU is next in action when the Shockers return home on Wednesday for a 4 p.m., doubleheader with Arkansas at Wilkins Stadium.

 

-Wichita State-