By: Wichita State
PEORIA, Ill.—Wichita State's softball team swept Missouri Valley Conference-foe Bradley on Saturday at the Laura Bradley Park in Peoria. During game one, the Shockers won 10-8 in a back-and-forth battle, and then the Shockers won 2-0 in a pitching-dominant matchup during game two. With the Saturday sweep, Wichita State moves to 28-20 (10-9 MVC) as Bradley dropped to 14-30 (8-11 MVC). The Shockers' Saturday afternoon sweep of Bradley allowed the Shockers to go over .500 in Valley play for the first time in 2015.
Kelli Spring and Mackenzie Wright were both 3-6 to lead the Shockers on Saturday. As Spring was 3-6 with a RBI and two runs scored, Wright was 3-6 with three RBI, a triple, a run scored, a walk and a stolen base.
Kelsey Sterneker won game one, as she pitched four innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits, waked two and struck out two to pick up her third win of the season. Jenni Brooks pitched a complete-game shutout in game two, as she allowed just four hits, walked two and struck out five to even her season record at 9-9.
Wichita State finishes their three-game series with Bradley on Sunday at 11 a.m. inside the Laura Bradley Park.
Game 1: Wichita State 10, Bradley 8
Kelsey Sterneker picked up her third win of the season. She pitched four innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits, waked two and struck out two. Jenni Brooks recorded the final out of the bottom of the seventh to record her first save of the season while allowing one hit.
Aly Spinas-Valainis took her 15th loss. She pitched a complete game while allowing 10 earned runs on 11 hits, walked two and struck out two.
The first four hitters in Wichita State's lineup (Kelli Spring, Cacy Williams, Brittany Fortner and Mackenzie Wright) combined to go 7-13 with six runs scored, five RBI and a home run.
Six Shockers scored one run (Fortner, Wright, Hunter Hogan, Macklin Hitz, Melanie Jaegers, and McKenzie Adams), and two Shockers scored two runs (Spring and Williams). Four Shockers had two hits (Spring, Williams, Fortner and Jaegers), three Shockers recorded two RBI (Fortner, Wright and Hitz), and three Shockers hit home runs (Fortner, Hitz and Jaegers).
Kendall Duffy was 3-4 with three RBI to pace Bradley's offense in game one.
Fortner hit her team-leading ninth homer of the season (a solo shot) off the upper-half of the Bradley scoreboard in right-center with two outs in the top of the first to give the Shockers a quick 1-0 lead.
Bradley loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the second after two singles and a hit-by-pitch, with Kendall Duffy at the plate. Duffy neutralized Fortner's homer in the top of the first with a singled through the left side, scoring Erika Hansen to tie the game at one all.
Moments later, a RBI groundout by Brittany Burgess allowed Caitlyn McCarron to score and give the Braves the first lead of the game at 2-1 after two innings.
With one out in the top of the third, Wichita State scored three runs on four hits while helped by one Bradley error to take a 4-2 lead.
Both teams combined for six runs on nine hits with one Bradley error in the third inning.
In the top of the third, a throwing error by Kathryn Spenn as she was attempting to throw out Kelli Spring from trying to steal second was high, skipping to right center. That allowed McKenzie Adams to score, tying the game at two all.
Williams hit a rare bunt double to Duffy at third, and Fortner was hit by a pitch square in the back to load the bases for Mackenzie Wright. Wright singled off of the glove of Elizabeth Leonard at shortstop, scoring both Spring and Williams to allow Wichita State to reclaim the lead at 4-2. The score remained the same heading into the bottom of the third.
Bradley answered Wichita State's three-run top of the third with three of their own on five hits (all with two outs) to retake the lead at 5-4 after three innings.
Lexi Cremeens singled to right, scoring Hansen to cut Wichita State's lead to 4-3. Moments later, Spenn hit a two-RBI double to left, scoring both Cremeens and McCarron to take the 5-4 lead after three innings.
For the second straight inning, Wichita State scored three runs, but this time on three hits to take a 7-5 lead.
Jaegers led off the top of the fourth with a solo homer to deep left (her fifth of the season) that tied the game at five apiece.
With two outs, Williams and Fortner used consecutive RBI-doubles down the right field line to provide Wichita State the lead for the third time in game one at 7-5 after the top-half of the fourth.
As Jaegers was caught stealing second with one out in the top of the fifth, Hunter Hogan scored on the return throw home, pushing Wichita State's lead to 8-5.
A two-run homer by Hitz (her fifth) in the top of the seventh to deep right increased the Shocker lead to 10-5.
Bradley loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, and Duffy at the plate. Jenni Brooks committed an illegal pitch on her second pitch to Duffy, allowing Morales to score and trim the lead to 10-6. Moments later, Duffy hit a two-RBI double to trim the lead to 10-8 before the Shockers recorded the final out of the game to win 10-8.
Game 2: Wichita State 2, Bradley 0
Jenni Brooks pitched a complete-game shutout in game two for her ninth win of the season, as she allowed just four hits, walked two and struck out five.
Jaelen Hull also pitched a complete game, but she took her 10th loss. Hull allowed two earned runs on hits, walked three and struck out three.
Mackenzie Wright was 2-3 with a RBI to pace the Shockers. McKenzie Adams, Liz Broyles, and Kelli Spring were each 1-3, as Spring recorded the other RBI in game two.
Erika Hansen, Maria Schroeder, and Brittany Burgess were each 1-3 for Bradley.
Bradley loaded the bases with Kelly Kapp at the plate in the bottom of the second. Brooks forced a lineout to Fortner that kept the Braves off the board, and to allow the game to remain scoreless after two.
A double by Adams to lead off the top of the third, and an Ashley Johnson sacrifice bunt set up Adams at third with one out. Moments later, Spring singled up the middle, scoring Adams to give the Shockers their first run of the game at 1-0.
Bradley loaded the bases for the second time in game two as Maria Schroeder was at the plate in the bottom of the third. Eventually, Brooks forced a fly-out in foul territory to Fortner deep down the left field line to keep the Braves off the board, and to preserve the 1-0 Shocker lead after three innings.
A pitcher's duel ensued in game two, as the Shockers and Braves allowed a combined total of one run on four hits through five innings. The only differences between the two teams' stat lines were that the Shockers had scored a run and committed an error. Otherwise, the Shockers and Braves had played an even game during game two. Wichita State held onto a 1-0 lead into the top of the sixth inning.
A Fortner walk started a Shocker rally in the top of the sixth. Moments after the Fortner walk, Mackenzie Wright tripled to deep center, scoring Fortner to increase the Shocker lead to 2-0.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh, there were only nine combined hits allowed between the Shockers and Braves--five for the Shockers, and four by the Braves. By this point, Wichita State still had a 2-0 lead as Brooks was looking to pitch a complete game shutout.
Brooks pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to complete the complete game shutout, and to give the Shockers the Saturday afternoon sweep of Bradley by winning 2-0 during game two.
Wichita State finishes their three-game series with Bradley on Sunday at 11 a.m. inside the Laura Bradley Park.
-WICHITA STATE-
