WICHITA -- Wichita State (19-11, 1-1) used a late comeback to win its conference opener over Bradley (6-4, 1-1), but the Braves responded with a six-run first in game two to salavage a doubleheader split with the Shockers Saturday afternoon at Wilkins Stadium.

The teams wrap up the series at noon tomorrow at Wilkins Stadium.

Shockers 5, Bradley 1 (Game One)
The first game of the afternoon was a classic pitcher's duel between Bradley's Ashley Birdsong and WSU's Ashly Bright. The two matched pitch for pitch, with Birdsong retiring 15 of the first 16 hitters she faced, with the only blemish an error by third baseman Lauren Meister in the first inning.

Bradley right-fielder Amanda Clack robbed the Shockers' of their first hit in the fourth when the sophomore made a great grab of a Cynthia Verhulst blooper to shallow right center, keeping the game scoreless through for.

The Braves scored first in the sixth when a Janay Mitchell slapped a one-out single through the left side and later came around to score on a Shocker error giving Bradley a 1-0 lead. Ashly Bright struck out Meister to end the inning with only one run on the board.

Kiersten Dixon broke up Birdsong's bid for a no-hitter on a one-out bunt single in the sixth that would be the first of four-straight hits that brought the Shockers back to life. Dixon's single brought up the top of the order and the Shockers made Birdsong and the Braves pay as Katie McGeeney got aboard with a floating single to shallow right that fell just in front of Clack for the second hit of the day and the inning.

Kara L'Huillier brought home the first runs of the day for the Shockers after scorching a double off the leg off Meister at third that brought home both Dixon to tie the game at 1-1. Britnee Barnett then ripped a double off the wall in center to plate both McGeeney and L'Huillier to break the game open with a 3-1 lead. WSU wasn't finished with Birdsong however, as a Heather Gerritse single to shallow left sent home Barnett before a double by Jamie Hull to right center brought home WSU's fifth run of the game when Lauren Coleman crossed the plate after pinch running for Gerritse, giving WSU its fifth win in its last at bat this season.

Bright (11-7) won the duel with Birdsong (5-2), working the complete game, scattering four hits and an unearned run in the win while striking out 12, her seventh double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Birdsong gave up five earned runs on six hits while striking out four in the loss. No Shocker posted more than one hit, while Bradley's Janay Mitchell and Miriam Wegmann both went 2-for-3 for the Braves as WSU won its seventh-straight conference opener.


Bradley 7, Shockers 5 (Game Two)
The Braves responded from their game one woes by roughing up Shocker starter Brianna Smet (7-2) for six runs on four hits in the top of the first to take a 6-0 lead before the Shockers even stepped up to the plate.

The Shockers threatened, but stranded a pair of runners in the first and the third before putting up their first runs of the game on a Jamie Hull home run to straight away center that scored Lauren Coleman as well who pinch-ran for Heather Gerritse after the freshman catcher reached on a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the fourth. A slap single right back up the middle from McGeeney brought home Caley Roberts, who reached on a bunt single, her first hit of the season, to cut the deficit to 7-3 after four.

Hull drove in the fourth run for the Shockers in the fifth with a double off the left field wall that scored Brianna Smet who pinch ran for Cynthia Verhulst after the Shocker slugger reached on a leadoff walk. Hull's
third RBI of the game cut the Bradley lead to 7-4. Kiersten Dixon then slapped a ball up the middle to score Hull and trim the deficit to 7-5, after five.

WSU threatened again in the sixth but could not push across a run, dropping to 19-11 on the season.

Smet was charged for the loss, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings of work. Katie Dennis (1-1) picked up the win for the Braves working 1.1 innings of relief of starter Rebecca Bishop, while Birdsong picked up her second save of the season with three strikeouts in 2.1 innings of relief.