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AUSTIN, Texas--The Wichita State softball team split their Saturday portion of the Texas Classic inside the Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. As the Shockers lost 10-4 to Texas in the first game, they bounced back to defeat IPFW 14-0 in five innings. Heading into the final day of the Texas Classic, the Shockers have a 6-3 record.

Game 1—Texas 10, Wichita State 4

The Wichita State softball team fell to Texas by a score of 10-4 during the first of two Saturday games at the Texas Classic inside the Red and Charline McCombs Field.

The Shockers had three runs on six hits, committed two errors and left five on base. Texas scored their 10 runs on 11 hits, with three errors and left four on base.

Jenni Brooks (2-2) took the loss. She pitched three innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits, walked two and struck out one.

Tiarra Davis of Texas (2-1) picked up the win. Davis threw a complete game as she gave up four runs (one earned) on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Cacy Williams led the Shockers on offense. She went 1-3 with a home run (her second of the season), two RBI and a run scored.

Holly Kern went 1-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Gabby Smith had a three-run pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the sixth, her second of the season.

A Devon Tunning walk set the bottom of the first in motion for the Longhorns. Brooks made an illegal pitch that caused Tunning to advance to second, and then Brooks threw a wild pitch that moved Tunning to third. A Mackenzie Wright fielding error allowed Holly Kern to reach base and Tunning to score, giving the Longhorns a 1-0 lead after the first inning.

In the top of the third, Williams hit a towering two-run home run to deep right center, her second of the season. This scored Layne Greenlee, and put the Shockers on top by a 2-1 score heading into the bottom of the third.

The Longhorns had runners on second and third with one out, and Lindsey Stephens at the plate during the bottom of the third. Moments later, Brooks got Stephens to pop out to Ashley Johnson in center to get the second out. Texas then scored four runs on two hits to take a 5-2 lead heading into the top of the fourth.

Kern batted moments after Stephens and hit a two-RBI double to give the Longhorns a 3-2 lead. Erin Shireman hit a two-run home run, her third of the season, which pushed the Texas lead to 5-2 after the end of three innings.

With no outs during the bottom of the fourth, Kelli Hanzel doubled to deep right center, scoring Marlee Gabaldon from first to extend the Longhorn lead to 6-2. The Longhorns had another opportunity to score with Hanzel on third with one out, but she was thrown out trying to score as Wong hit into a fielder's choice. Stephens then grounded out to Macklin Hitz, allowing the Shockers to escape the bottom of the fourth without further trouble.

A RBI double by Hitz in the top of the sixth scored Brittany Fortner to cut the Texas lead to 6-3. With Hunter Hogan pinch-running at second after the Hitz RBI double, Davis struck out Wright and Carney while forcing Kelli Spring to ground out to end the sixth-inning Shocker rally.

Smith hit the pinch-hit three-run home run to deep right center, her second of the season, to double the Longhorn lead to 9-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Kern added a RBI single four batters later to push the Longhorn lead to 10-3 heading into the top half of the seventh.

Wichita State threatened in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs with Fortner at the plate.

The Shockers made their first out of the seventh when Fortner popped out to Tunning without any runners advancing. Hitz used a sac-fly to cut the Longhorn lead to 10-4. Wright was hit by a pitch to set up their second bases loaded situation of the inning, but this time with two outs. A Spring grounder to Davis ended the game and secured the 10-4 win for Texas.

Game 2—Wichita State 14, IPFW 0 (Five Innings)

The Wichita State softball team defeated IPFW by a score of 14-0 during the second of two Saturday games at the Texas Classic inside the Red and Charline McCombs Field.

Kelsey Sterneker (1-1) picked up the first victory of her college career. She pitched all five innings while pitching a two-hit shutout, walked two and struck out three.

Kaitlyn Biere (0-3) took the loss. She pitched two innings and gave up 10 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out one.

Macklin Hitz, and Liz Broyles each had three RBI, as Hitz's only hit in the game was her first home run of the year that drove in two. Brittany Fortner, Mackenzie Wright, Kelli Spring, and Liz Broyles all had two hits, as Cacy Williams, Kennedy Long, Bailey Holt, Erin Carney, Hitz, Michelle Dixon, Layne Greenlee and McKenzie Adams each registered a hit.

Long, Wright, Spring and Broyles also scored two runs apiece. Fortner, Carney, Hitz, Bond, Layne Greenlee and Adams were responsible for the other runs scored by the Shockers. Wichita State's seven stolen bases during the IPFW game were two away from tying a school record of nine.

The Shockers had their first run-scoring chance in the bottom of the second when Wright was on third and Spring was on second (after she stole second) with no outs.

Broyles hit a two-RBI double to deep center, giving the Shocks their first lead of the game at 2-0. Two batters later, Williams knocked in Broyles with a RBI-double of her own, pushing the Shocker lead to 3-0. Williams stole second to put herself in scoring position, but Melanie Jaegers lined out to Hailey Gukeisen to end the inning and keep the score at 3-0 in favor of the Shockers heading into the top of the third.

During the top of the third, Emily Olszewski of IPFW singled up the middle with Jenna Balthazor at second. However, a strong throw by Ashley Johnson in center to Holt at home plate prevented Balthazor from scoring and ended the inning without the Shockers allowing any runs.

Wichita State scored nine runs on eight hits to go up 12-0 after three innings.

The Shockers had back to back home runs to push their lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the third. Hitz hit her first home run (a two run shot) of the season to deep center field, increasing the Shocker lead to 5-0. Wright then had an inside-the-park home run, the first home run of her college career, to extend the Shocker lead to 6-0.

Broyles doubled for the second time, tying a school record. This time, her double allowed Spring to score from second to push the Shocker advantage to 7-0.

Johnson reached on a fielding error by Becca Beier and advanced to second while Greenlee and Broyles scored, extended the Shocker lead to 9-0. Three batters later, Erin Carney had a pinch-hit two-RBI triple to increase the lead to 11-0, and a Hitz sacrifice fly brought the Shocker lead to 12-0 heading into the top of the fourth.

Long's RBI-double (that scored Brianne Bond), and Holt's RBI single pushed the Shocker lead to 14-0 heading into the top of the fifth inning. Sterneker pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth to end the game in five innings, and earn the Shockers a 14-0 victory. The Shockers will finish the Texas Classic with a rematch against IPFW at noon on the Longhorn Network.

-WICHITA STATE-