WICHITA, Kan. – Despite leading by one after six innings, the Wichita State softball team fell to No. 12 LSU Thursday night in front of another record setting crowd by a score of 4-3 in eight innings.
 
1,115 fans packed Wilkins Stadium on Thursday, setting a new record, which had just recently been set on March 1, against Oklahoma.
 
Katie Malone started in the circle and threw all 8.0 innings, allowing just three earned runs on nine hits and striking out three. Malone ended up receiving her sixth loss of the season to move here to 10-6 on the year.
 
Both Paige Luellen and Ryleigh Buck hit two huge home runs for the Shockers, while Mauriana Jamele and Mackenzie Wright collected the other two hits.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the first inning, but in the second inning and two outs, Constance Quinn tripled which was followed by a double from Amber Serrett to make the score 1-0.
 
Luellen came right back in the bottom of the second and crushed a solo home run over the centerfield wall to tie the game at two heading into the second inning.
 
Again in the third, both teams were unable to scratch across a run, but the Shockers took a 3-1 lead on a two-run home run to left field by Buck.
 
After a one-out double in the sixth, a pinch-hit single by Allie Walljasper scored a run to cut the lead to 3-2
 
After a fly-out to center, Elyse Thornill singled to get a runner on for the Tigers. A tremendous diving play by Wright in foul territory got the Shockers there second out of the inning. With two outs, Malone fielded a groundball but overthrew first base to score a run and tie the game at three.
 
The Shockers came up empty in the bottom of the seventh and a leadoff home run by Sydney Springfield propelled the Tigers to a 4-3 win in eight innings.
 
The Shockers are now 12-10 on the season and will be in action again on Saturday, as they begin Missouri Valley Conference play against Drake at 12 p.m., inside Wilkins Stadium.

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