SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Wichita State softball team opened up the UTSA Classic by splitting a pair of games Friday in San Antonio, Texas. The Shockers fell to Rutgers 9-1 in the day's opening game before rebounding to knock off tournament host UTSA, 3-2, in 10 innings. 

Rutgers came out strong in the top of the first, reaching the first batter on a Shocker error before Alexis Durando hit a two-run homer to give the Rutgers a 2-0 advantage in the early going. The Shockers threatened to score in the bottom of the first after Kelli Spring hit a double to left field and Broyles walked but the Scarlet Knights' defense held Wichita State from scoring going into the second inning.

After a one, two, three inning for Rutgers, Megan McCracken hit a home run to left center to put the Shockers on the board and cut the Rutgers lead, 2-1 in the bottom of the second. Loren Williams responded with a home run in the top of the third, followed by a single through the right side and a double to right field, putting runners in scoring position for the Scarlet Knights.

Jenni Brooks replaced Sloan Anderson in the third with one out, after Anderson pitched 2.1 innings, allowing five hits, five runs and striking out two. Jackie Bates singled up the middle, scoring the runner at third and advancing a runner before Carly Todd singled to third base, loading the bases. Melanie Slowinski hit a two-run single to center field before Emma Woo grounded out to Jenni Brooks to give the Rutgers a 6-1 lead.

Liz Broyles started things off for the Shockers in the bottom of the third, hitting a single to center field before Cacy Williams hit a single to center field, putting runners at first and second for Wichita State. Paige Luellen struck out, however, and the Rutgers maintained the 6-1 lead heading into the top of the fourth. Rutgers put runners at first and second after a single by Chandler Howard advanced the runner. Durando hit a RBI single through the left side shortly after to extend the Rutgers lead, 7-1.

Rutgers added another run in the top of the fourth off an RBI single through the right side but the Shockers couldn't respond in the bottom of the inning and the Scarlet Knights took a 7-1 advantage into the fifth inning. The bats were hot for Rutgers in the top of the fifth, as the Scarlet Knights put runners at second and third on a double by Slowinski before a Williams double scored both runners to extend the lead, 9-1. Spring singled to center field in the bottom of the fifth but it wasn't enough as Wichita State dropped its first game to Rutgers, 9-1.

Anderson (3-1) picked up the loss for the Shockers, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing two home runs, a double and five hits. Spring got two hits in three at-bats for Wichita State, including a double.

Tournament host UT-San Antonio got on the board first in the second game of the day after two walks put runners at first and second and Jori Fox singled through the left side, scoring the runner at second to give the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Williams reached on a throwing error by the second baseman before Luellen hit a SAC bunt to advance Williams and Brittany Fortner grounded out to second to advance Williams to third. Williams scored on a wild pitch shortly after to tie the game, 1-1, heading into the second inning.

Luellen reached on a fielder's choice in the top of the fourth, stealing second shortly after to put the Shockers in scoring position. Brittany Fortner walked to put runners at first and second before Paige Mason hit a single through the left side to score Luellen, giving Wichita State its first lead of the game, 2-1.  

Paige Mason walked to start off the top of the seventh for the Shockers and Layne Greenlee came in to pinch run, before Melanie Jaegers bunted down the third base line, advancing Greenlee to third, putting runners in scoring position for Wichita State. The Roadrunner defense stepped up though and kept the Shockers scoreless in the inning. Crawford hit a two-out homer to left field to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, 2-2. 

Williams was hit by a pitch in the top of the eighth and Luellen grounded out to second to put runners in scoring position for the Shockers but the Roadrunner defense held Wichita State scoreless in the inning. The Shockers made a crucial double play to start off the bottom of the eighth, getting the batter out at first before Williams threw down the runner at third. Williams caught a fly ball down the first base line to get the final out of the inning for Wichita State to take it into the ninth.

Fortner was placed at second to start off the ninth inning, advancing to third on a SAC bunt by Mason but UTSA wouldn't let the run in, holding Wichita State scoreless once again, keeping the score 2-2, to take it to the bottom of the ninth. The Roadrunners mimicked the Shockers with a SAC bunt to advance the runner to third, but Anderson got the runner out at home on a grounder hit straight to her and struck out the next batter to take the game to the tenth inning.

Broyles hit a SAC bunt to start off the tenth inning to advance Johnson to third before Spring hit a RBI single up the middle to regain the lead, 3-2. The Shocker defense held the Roadrunners from scoring in the bottom of the tenth, and Wichita State went on to win 3-2 in extra innings.

The Shockers will play Oklahoma State at 9 a.m. Saturday, immediately followed by a game against Colorado State at 11:30 a.m. to finish out the UTSA Classic. 

-WICHITA STATE-