WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State played its first home game in nearly two years and recorded a pair of run-rule wins over Creighton Saturday afternoon at Wilkins Stadium. The Shockers won 14-2 and 13-3 with both games needing just five innings.

Wichita State (4-2) belted 11 home runs in the two games and scored 27 runs. The Shockers were just 1-7 vs. Creighton under head coach Kristi Bredbenner entering the day, but Saturday was a different story.

Erin McDonald (2-1) started for the Shockers in the circle and went the full five innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits to go with six strikeouts.

Addison Barnard started her stellar day at the plate with the first of three home runs on the day. Neleigh Herring, Lauren Mills, Bailee Nickerson and Jessica Garcia all homered in the first game.

Wichita State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first behind a pair of two-run home runs from Herring and Nickerson.

After a single from Bailey Urban and a Kaylee Huecker walk, Barnard unloaded the bases with a three-run blast over the left field wall to make it 7-0 in favor of the Shockers in the second. In the third, Wichita State tacked on four more runs behind a two-run double from Urban, an RBI single from McKinney and a solo shot from Mills.

The Shockers put the finishing touches on the contest with a two-run shot from Garcia, her first career home run, in the bottom of the fourth. Creighton scored a run in the fourth and fifth for their only scores in the game.

Barnard's day was even better in game two where she went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a triple and five RBI. Ryleigh Buck made her season debut and went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and four RBI. Madison Perrigan hit two solo home runs, bringing her career total to 39. She is now tied with Laurie Derrico and Cacy Williams for first on the career home run list.

Bailey Lange (2-0) struck out five Bluejays in 5.0 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on just one hit.

Creighton led 3-0 after the top of the third, but the Wichita State bats went to work in the bottom of the third. Barnard and Perrigan homered back-to-back, not once, but twice in the inning. Mills added the fifth home run of the inning with a solo shot.

Buck's three-run home run in the fourth inning made it 13-3, putting the run-rule in play.

Up Next
Wichita State and Creighton wrap up the three-game series tomorrow at Wilkins Stadium with a 12 p.m. first pitch.