PALO ALTO, Calif.--

Game One 

Wichita State (3-2) opened the Stanford Invitational with a 1-0 victory over Pacific (2-4) Friday afternoon at Smith Family Stadium.

Ashly Bright (2-1) threw a complete game, scattering eight hits, allowing no runs while striking out six. Katie McGeeney went 1-for-1 with three walks and Tiffany Dahlquist collected the team's only RBI. McGeeney led off the game with a rip up the left field line, but was was quickly erased after being caught stealing second. The next two batters were retired for a quick end to the first inning.

Bright sat down the first five Tiger hitters before giving up back-to-back singles to Briana Santos and Brittany Hickman in the bottom of the second. Bright threw her third strike-out of the inning to Casey Goldstand to leave both runners stranded. With one out in the top of the third, McGeeney drew a walk and Kiersten Dixon singled to shallow left field. Both runners advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch, but a strike-out and infield pop up would cross no runs.

The Shockers got on the board in the fourth after Jamie Hull walked and Jamie Stanclift reached on an error to advance Hull to second. Kara L'Huillier hit the bases loaded and the run crossed on a sacrifice fly from the pinch-hitting Dahlquist.

Pacific threatened in the bottom half of the fourth when its lead-off hitter reached third. After a single to deep center by pitcher Alyce Jorgensen, pinch runner Lauren Sandelin advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a fly ball to center. Bright forced a pop up to first then struck out Hickman to strand the runner at third.

Wichita State tried to add insurance in the top of the seventh with consecutive two-out singles from Heather Gerritse and Hull, but a groundout ended the threat. The Shockers would not need the runs however, as Bright and the WSU defense retired eight of the last nine batters.
 

Game Two

 

Wichita State dropped its second game of the day, 11-0, to No. 13 Stanford in five innings.

 

McGeeney started game two in the same fashion, a single, this time beating out a hit kept in the infield. Stanford ace Missy Penna sat down the next three hitters on strikes.

 

WSU starting pitcher Cynthia Verhulst struggled in the bottom of the first. After striking out the lead-off hitter, Verhulst issued a walk and then Maddy Coon fired one back up the middle. The pitch clipped Verhulst's leg and the runner reached safely on the hit. Michelle Smith drew a walk to load the bases, then Melisa Koutz delivered a two RBI double to left-center field. Shannon Koplitz followed with an infield single that advanced the runners, but then the Shocker defense fumbled the ball and a run crossed on the error. A double to the opposite side of the field by Rosey Neill plated another run and the fifth and final run of the first inning came on a sacrifice fly from Erin Howe.

 

The Cardinal added three runs in the bottom of the second to go ahead, 8-0. After two walks Verhulst was replaced in the circle by freshman Brianna Smet. Smet started her appearance with a base-on-balls. A sacrifce fly to right pushed across a run, but it also gave the Shockers their second out. Smet allowed a two-run double before striking out Neill to end the damage.

 

Penna continued to dominate the Shocker bats, adding three more consecutive strikeouts in the top of the second. WSU broke the streak with a single into the left-center gap by Kara L'Huillier in the third. Penna went back to work getting a ground ball out slapped by McGeeney, in between the pitcher's seventh and eight strikeouts. Wichita State's offensive troubles continued, going down in order in the fourth.

 

The Tigers tacked on three more runs in the bottom frame. Penna struck out three batters in the top of the fifth to force the run rule, but not before issuing her first walk of the season to L'Huillier.

 

McGeeney and L'Huillier had WSU's only hits. Verhulst was tagged with the loss and seven earned runs in just 1.1 innings on four  hits and four walks. Smet allowed four earned runs on five hits and four walks in 2.2 innings.

 

The Shockers face Santa Clara Saturday at 12 p.m. CST, and then a second game TBA.