By: Wichita State
CARBONDALE, Ill.—The Wichita State softball team dropped the two games in their Saturday afternoon doubleheader against Southern Illinois by a run per game inside the Charlotte West Stadium. During game one, the Shockers fell to SIU 4-3, and then fell to SIU 7-6 during game two. With the two losses, Wichita State dropped to 16-14 (1-4 MVC) as Southern Illinois improved to 10-10-1 (5-0 MVC).
Game 1: Southern Illinois 4, Wichita State 3
Jenni Brooks (4-6) took the loss in relief of Katie Malone. She pitched the final three innings and allowed a run (earned) on four hits, walk one and struck out one.
Katie Bertelsen (7-5) picked up the win. She pitched the entire game, as she allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Liz Broyles led the Shocker offense as she went 1-3 with her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot, and had two RBI. Mackenzie Wright went 2-3, as Melanie Jaegers went 1-3 with a RBI.
Merri Ann Patterson was 2-3 with her first home run of the season with two RBI to pace the Salukis. Kalyn Harker and Sydney Jones were also 2-3.
The Salukis had back-to-back hits during the bottom of the first with two outs to take a 2-0 lead. First, Jones hit a RBI-double to score Harker and to take a 1-0 lead. One batter later, Patterson singled to left and advanced to second on the throw home by McKenzie Adams, scoring Jones to give the Salukis a 2-0 lead into the top of the second.
During the bottom of the third with one out, Jones hit her second-straight double in as many at-bats to score Kelsey Gonzalez and to increase the SIU lead to 3-0. Malone then retired the final two batters with runners on second and third to escape the bottom of the third while allowing just one run.
Through the first three innings, the Shockers were without a hit. During the top of the fourth, the Shockers scored three runs on four hits to tie the game at three apiece through the top half of the fourth.
Mackenzie Wright singled to second in what was a close play at first that she beat out by a step. Moments later, Broyles hit a two-run home run (her fourth home run of the year) to close the Saluki lead to 3-2. With Cacy Williams on second after she advanced there on an Erin Carney groundout, Melanie Jaegers hit a bloop-single that dropped just between SIU's second baseman and right fielder, tying the game at three apiece. Heading into the bottom of the fourth, Brooks came in to pitch in relief of Malone.
The score remained tied at three apiece until the bottom of the sixth inning when Patterson hit a towering solo home run, her first of the season, to give the Salukis a 4-3 lead. SIU had runners on first and second with one out, but Brooks forced a lineout to herself, and a pop fly to Kelli Spring to avoid any additional damage in the bottom of the sixth. Heading into the final half inning of the game, SIU had a 4-3 lead.
Wichita State went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, giving SIU the 4-3 win to improve to 9-10-1 (4-0 MVC), as the Shocks fell to 16-13 (1-3 MVC).
Game 2: Southern Illinois 7, Wichita State 6
Katie Malone (9-7) took the loss in relief of Ashlynne Neil. She pitched 3.2 innings and gave up two runs (both earned) on four hits, walked two and struck out four.
Katie Bertelsen (8-5) picked up her second win of the day in relief, pitching the final 0.2 innings in the top of the seventh.
Brittany Fortner was 2-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Mackenzie Wright was 1-3 with two RBI as well. Kelli Spring, Cacy Williams, Liz Broyles and McKenzie Adams also recorded hits for the Shockers.
Brook Womack was 2-3 with two RBI and a run scored to pace the Salukis. Womack's RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh gave SIU their fifth-straight win in Valley play.
Shaye Harre and Kalyn Harker each had two hits as well, as Lacey Newbold was 1-3 with two RBI.
Wichita State scored three runs on three hits along with one SIU error during the top of the first to take a quick 3-0 lead.
Williams reached when SIU's Savannah Fisher and Meredith Wilson collided in right field, causing Fisher to drop the ball and Fortner to score. Moments later, Broyles singled, scoring Spring to extend their lead to 2-0. Wright hit into a RBI-groundout that scored Williams to widen the Shocker advantage to 3-0 soon after the Broyles RBI single.
The Shockers added a run in the top of the second when McKenzie Adams scored after a double-steal attempt in which Fortner was caught stealing second. This gave the Shockers a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second.
SIU had runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the second, and eventually answered with two runs of their own to cut the Shocker lead to 4-2 after two innings. Brook Womack singled, scoring Harre. Moments later, Jessa Thomas hit a RBI-groundout to Mackenzie Wright, scoring Patterson to trim the Shocker lead in half after two innings.
Wichita State loaded the bases with one out and Melanie Jaegers at the plate during the top of the third. Jaegers popped out to SIU's Harker to make the second out, but a Paige Mason pinch-hit RBI-walk pushed the Shocker lead back to three at 5-2 through two and a half innings.
SIU scored three runs on two hits, with one Shocker error during the bottom of the third to tie the game at five apiece after three.
A Harker leadoff double and an error by Broyles cutting off the throw from Layne Greenlee in shallow center advanced Harker to third. Two batters later, Harre hit a sacrifice fly to Williams that scored Harker, closing the Shocker lead to a two-run deficit for the second time at 5-3. Malone entered the game in relief after Ashlynne Neil walked two straight batters with two outs. Moments later, Newbold hit a two-RBI double in the right center gap, scoring Womack and Patterson to tie the game at five apiece.
The game remained tied at five through the top of the fourth after Patterson threw Fortner out at home as she attempted to tag up from third to score.
With a runner on third with two outs, Harker singled to shallow left, scoring Kara Kimbell to give SIU their first lead of the game at 6-5 heading into the top of the seventh.
A 13-pitch Fortner walk leading off the top of the seventh, a sac-bunt by Spring and a single by Williams set up runners at first and third with one out and Broyles at the plate. Both Broyles and Wright were hit by the first two Katie Bertelsen pitches as she was brought in to record the save, forcing in Fortner to tie the game at six apiece with one out. Williams was forced out at home for the second out, and Macklin Hitz was barely out on a close play at second to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Harre led off the bottom of the seventh with a double. A Patterson sacrifice bunt moved Harre to third with one out as Jessica Heese was substituted in to pinch-run for Harre. Womack hit a walk-off single to shallow left, scoring Heese to win the game for SIU, 7-6. SIU improved to 10-10-1 (5-0 MVC) as the Shockers fell to 16-14 (1-4 MVC).
Wichita State will face Southern Illinois in the final game of the series on Sunday inside Charlotte West Stadium at noon. The game can be viewed on GoShockers.com's live stats.
-WICHITA STATE-
