NORMAL, ILL. – In a game that had three combined home runs, the Shockers fell to Northern Iowa, 6-4, to finish the 2017 season.
Jenni Brooks got her 14
th start of the year, and threw two innings before
Katie Malone entered to throw the final 4.1 innings.
Northern Iowa jumped out to an early lead after Krodinger doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Wolfe to make the score 1-0.
Kelli Spring led off the fourth inning with a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error by the pitcher, reaching base for the 16
th straight game. A ground ball down the third base line went off the glove of the third baseman and out of play to score a run for Wichita State and tie the game at one.
In the fifth inning,
Mackenzie Wright walked and later stole second. A two-out single up the middle from Spring broke the tie and gave Wichita State their first lead of the game, 2-1.
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, came back to bite the Shockers as Wolfe hit a two-run home run with two outs to give the Panthers the lead right back, 3-2.
The Shockers took the lead right back in the top of the sixth as Perrigan reached on an error and scored on a two-run home run to right-center from
Laurie Derrico to give Wichita State a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Panthers got two runners on and a three-run home run ended the game, giving Northern Iowa the 6-4 win.
The Shockers end the 2017 season with a record of 32-20 and send off a group of seniors that won two Missouri Valley Conference regular season championships and one MVC Tournament championship..
