EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Wichita State (12-15, 3-2) split its neutral site conference series with Bradley (16-12, 1-1) Saturday afternoon in Edwardsville, Ill. coming back to take game two, 2-0, after dropping the day's opener, 2-0.

GAME ONE: Bradley 2, Wichita State 0 

Bradley scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning to outdistance Wichita State, 2-0, behind a three-hit shutout from starter Madelyn Lynch-Crumrine. 

In the bottom of the second inning Bradley's Kendall Duffy doubled to the wall in centerfield plating Alex Chandler for the first run of the game. Two batters later the Braves got a sacrifice fly from Shannon King that scored Duffy from third base and gave Bradley a 2-0 lead. 

Danika Miller recorded the Shockers third hit of the game with a leadoff double to left center in the top of the sixth inning. After Kaitlyn Carey advanced Miller to third with a groundout to the right side of the infield, Lynch-Crumrine snared a comebacker off the bat of Melanie Jaegers and got Hayley Temple to line out to shortstop ending the Shocker threat.

Katie Armagost threw another effective game in the circle for WSU allowing two earned runs in her tenth complete game of the season.

GAME TWO: Wichita State 2, Bradley 0

In game two it was Sloan Anderson going the distance for her fourth complete game shutout of the season. The junior from Hillsboro, Ore. struck out two Bradley hitters and allowed only five hits. 

Miller provided the early offensive spark for the Shockers. The senior garnered a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Temple. A mishandled ball behind the plate moved Miller to third base with one out. Freshman Brittany Fortner from nearby Cedar Hill, Mo. brought Miller home with an RBI groundout to second base giving the Shockers a 1-0 lead.

Bradley loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning with only one out but Anderson was rewarded when pinch-hitter Marina Groenewegen flew out to Kaitlyn Carey in centerfield who fired a strike to third base beating Brittany Burgess attempting to tag from second. The throw and tag out of Burgess at third narrowly beat Kendall Duffy tagging to score the game-tying run from third base negating the run and maintaining the Wichita State 1-0 lead.

Erin Carney helped add an insurance run with a double down the left field line to lead off the top of the seventh inning. Ali Vandever laid down a bunt single to the pitcher advancing Carney to third. On the next pitch Bradley's catcher threw the ball into centerfied attempting to throw out Vandever stealing second. The overthrow allowed Carney to score from third and put the Shockers up 2-0.

Anderson and the Shockers were the beneficiaries of another defensive gem in the bottom of the sixth inning when Fortner made an over-the-shoulder catch with two outs and the tying run on first base. 

Wichita State will take a brief hiatus from conference play playing host to No. 1 Oklahoma in a 3 p.m. doubleheader Wed., Mar. 27 at Wilkins Stadium.

 

-WICHITA STATE-