TULSA, Okla. –The Wichita State softball team fell to Tulsa by a 9-6 score on Tuesday evening inside the Collins Family Softball Complex in Tulsa. With the loss, the Shockers dropped to 16-16 as the Hurricane improved to 20-10.

The Shockers were down 7-2 after four innings, but they answered with two runs in the fifth and sixth innings to close the deficit within one, 7-6, after the top half of the sixth. Tulsa added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to eventually win by the 9-6 final score.

Katie Malone took the loss. She pitched three innings and gave up three runs (all earned) on five hits, walked three and struck out one.

Bailey Erwin picked up her 10^th win of the season, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing four runs (all earned) on seven hits. Erwin also walked three and struck out two, as Caitlin Sill picked up her fourth save.

Cacy Williams was 1-4 with her fourth homer of the season, two RBI and a run scored. Brittany Fortner was 1-3 with her fifth homer, a walk, and two runs scored. Macklin Hitz was 2-3 with a RBI, and a walk.

Julie Kernen was 3-4 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored to pace the Hurricane. Maddie Withee was 1-4 with three RBI, and Erica Sampson was 3-3 with three runs scored, a homer and two RBI.

Tulsa began the bottom of the first with runners on first and second with no outs. However, Catherine Horner flew out to Layne Greenlee in center, who was able to complete an 8-6 double play as Maggie Withee went too far away for second base. Malone then forced a Kernen lineout to Mackenzie Wright to end the bottom of the first without giving up any runs.

Wichita State had two hits and a bunt single to set up the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the second with McKenzie Adams at the plate. Adams grounded out to Bailey Erwin to end the inning without any Shocker runs scoring as the game remained scoreless after the top of the second.

The Hurricane loaded the bases in the bottom of the second with just one out, and Kate Myers at the plate. Malone struck Myers out swinging to get the second out. Maggie Withee reached on a fielder's choice, but hit a grounder to Kelli Spring that forced Kaitlin Allen out at second to end the second inning with no score.

Wichita State scored two runs on two hits in the top of the third to take a 2-0 lead, all with two outs in the inning.

As Liz Broyles was on first and Fortner was on second, Wright singled to right field, scoring Fortner to score the first run of the game. Moments later, Hitz singled to the right-center gap, scoring Broyles to push the Shocker lead to 2-0 after two and a half innings.

The Hurricane loaded the bases for the second time in two innings, this time during the bottom of the third with one out. Malone forced an Shelby Estocado popup to Wright, but Adams dropped a Maddie Withee deep fly ball to left as she was nearing the left field wall, allowing three Tulsa runs to score, giving the Hurricane a 3-2 lead after three.

Two-run homers by Tulsa's Sampson and Kernen during the bottom of the fourth took the Hurricane lead from 3-2 to 7-2 after four innings.

As the leadoff batter in the top of the fifth, Fortner hit the first pitch she saw well over the right field wall and into the brush beyond the right-center wall to hit her fifth homer of the season. This cut the Hurricane lead to 7-3. Three batters later, a Melanie Jaegers sac-fly cut into the Tulsa lead even further, down to 7-4 after the top-half of the fifth.

A towering two-run homer to right center by Williams with no outs during the top of the sixth, her fourth of the season, moved the Shockers within one at 7-6 after the top half of the sixth.

The Hurricane answered the two-run Shocker top of the sixth with two of their own in the bottom of the sixth, extending their lead to 9-6 after six innings.

The Shockers' will kick off a five-game homestand starting on Saturday when the Shockers host Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake inside Wilkins Stadium in Wichita at noon and 2 p.m.

-WICHITA STATE-