HOUSTON, Texas – The Wichita State softball team rallied from a four-run hole entering the sixth inning to defeat the Houston Cougars 6-5 and even the series heading into the final matchup on Sunday.
Both teams went three-up, three-down in the first with the Shockers getting their first hit in the second on a
Ryleigh Buck single.
Caitlin Bingham started in the circle and sat down the Cougars in order again in the second with the Shockers going down in order in the third.
Wichita State got its second baserunner of the day in the fourth with
Mackenzie Wright being hit by a pitch. She stole second base for the 51st time in her career and got to third via a throwing error but the Shockers couldn't get her around.
In the bottom half the Shockers went through three pitchers and the entire Cougar batting lineup. Three straight walks loaded the bases with a wild pitching getting the first runner home. A single and two more walks added two more runs for Houston to push the lead to 3-0 with the Shockers finally getting out of the inning with a groundout to second base.
The Wichita State bats woke up in the fifth. A two-out double by
Mckenzie Weber, who had come in to pitch in the fourth, got a runner to second.
Madison Perrigan smoked a shot into deep left for another double to get her home and cutting the lead to 3-1. In the bottom half two walks got runners on base with a single and an error pushing the Houston lead back to 5-1.
The Shockers rallied in the sixth. Wright singled with a hot shot straight at the third base with two straight walks by Webber and Derrico loading the bases. A triple into the right field corner by Buck got three home with a fielder's choice on a
Paige Luellen at-bat getting Buck to home plate via an obstruction call to tie the game at 5-5.
In the seventh, the Shockers completed the comeback.
Bailey Lange led off with a single into left field, the sacrifice bunt by Wright moving her to second and a wild pitch to third. Webber knocked a sacrifice fly into left field to get Lange home and giving the Shockers a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
Lange moved into the circle with the Cougars attempting their own rally with a leadoff single. A wild pitch and sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third but two ground outs to Buck at first and a ground out to Wright at third gave Wichita State the win.
Weber got the win (2-0) with Lange getting the save, her sixth of the season, and the Shockers improving to 23-16 on the year, 6-5 in The American.
