By: Wichita State
WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State fell to sixth-ranked Oklahoma by a score of 8-2 on Tuesday evening inside Wilkins Stadium in Wichita. With the loss, the Shockers dropped to 16-12 as the Sooners improved to 24-3.
Over 1100 fans came out to support the Shockers, the highest attendance ever for a game inside Wilkins Stadium.
Katie Malone took the loss, falling to 9-6 on the year. She pitched her 10th complete game of the season, as she allowed eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, walked three and struck out two.
Paige Parker picked up her 10th win of the season for the Sooners, as she moved to 10-2 on the year. She also pitched a complete game, as she gave up two runs (both earned) on nine hits, walked one and struck out eight.
Kelli Spring led the Shockers, as she went 3-4 with a run scored. Liz Broyles also had a multi-hit day, as she went 2-4 with a run scored, and a RBI. Erin Carney, Melanie Jaegers, Layne Greenlee, and McKenzie Adams each recorded hits as well.
Shelby Pendley went 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace the Sooners in hits. Kady Self went 1-4 with a grand slam home run in the top of the seventh to push the Sooner lead to 8-2 after the game stayed at 4-2 from the top of the fifth through the end of the sixth.
A Broyles double with two outs put Spring at third and Broyles at second during the bottom of the first. Paige Mason walked to force the bases loaded, and Carney came up to bat. Carney eventually popped up to Lauren Chamberlain to end the Shocker Rally without Wichita State scoring any runs.
After a Mackenzie Wright error at third base when she was attempting to catch a Spring throw to get the second out at third base in the top of the third, No. 6 Oklahoma loaded the bases with Shelby Pendley at the plate. Shelby Pendley singled center, scoring Georgia Casey to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead. One batter later, Paige Parker walked while the bases were still loaded, pushing the Sooner lead to 2-0 through the top half of the third.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Broyles answered with a bloop RBI-single to right that scored Spring to cut the Shocker deficit to 2-1. Two batters later, Carney singled to right, scoring Broyles to tie the game at two apiece through three innings.
The Shockers began the bottom of the fourth with two straight singles—a Greenlee single to third, and an Adams single to left, advancing Greenlee to second. Parker then forced a Brittany Fortner popup, and a Spring strikeout consecutively to get two quick outs. During Wright's at bat, Greenlee was caught stealing third to end the inning without the Shockers taking the lead, as the game remained tied at two through four innings.
No. 6 Oklahoma's Shelby Pendley doubled and advanced to third on a throwing error by Carney in right, scoring Chamberlain to allow the Sooners to reclaim the lead at 3-2 during the top of the fifth. Parker then hit into a RBI-groundout to Broyles, scoring Shelby Pendley to extend the Sooner lead to 4-2 after the top of the fifth.
The Sooners loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh with Parker at the plate. Malone struck out Parker to earn the second out of the inning, but Self hit a grand slam to push the Sooner lead to what turned into the 8-2 final score in favor of No. 6 Oklahoma.
The Shockers make their first Missouri Valley Conference road trip of the season when they travel to Carbondale, Ill. to face Southern Illinois in a three-game set from March 21-22.
-WICHITA STATE-
