LAWRENCE, Kan. – Wichita State went 3-0 at the Jayhawk Invitational, capped by wins over Iowa (14-3) and Kansas (9-2) Monday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark.

Wichita State (14-7) hit 12 home runs in three games of the Jayhawk Invitational, outscoring its opponents 37-5. In the two games Monday, Wichita State pounded out 25 hits.

With the two wins head coach Kristi Bredbenner recorded her 300th career win at Wichita State. She is just 14 wins shy of becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.

Game 1 vs. Iowa

Caitlin Bingham (6-1) picked up her sixth win, throwing all 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Bingham walked only one, and aside from the third inning, she kept the Hawkeyes off balance all game.

Addison Barnard tied a career high with three hits, two of those being home runs, and added four runs and four RBI. Lauren Lucas also tied a career high with three hits, including her first career grand slam. Lucas drove in a career-high five runs.

Sydney McKinney scored three runs to go with an RBI single and Zoe Jones scored twice to go with an RBI single. Lainee Brown doubled and scored a run.

Two batters into the game, Barnard sent her 10th home run of the season over the wall in right-center to give the Shockers an early 1-0 lead. With the bases loaded, Wichita State tacked on two more on an Iowa fielding error.

Barnard went back to work in the second inning with her second bomb, this time a two-run shot, extending the lead to 5-0.

Four more runs came across in the top of the third, increasing the margin to 9-0. McKinney opened the frame with an RBI single and then Barnard drove in two more on an RBI single and fielding error. Lauren Lucas beat out an infield single to drive in Barnard, capping the inning.

Iowa finally cut into the margin in the bottom of the third with three runs.

Wichita State hung a five-spot on the Hawkeyes in the top of the fourth. Jones drove in McKinney on an infield pop-up that dropped between the catcher and first baseman. After the Shockers loaded the bases, Lucas unloaded them with her first career grand slam. Wichita State led 14-3 after 4.0 innings.

Game 2 vs. Kansas

Kenzie Schopfer received a no decision in the start, as she only made it 1.1 innings. She allowed two runs on four hits. Erin McDonald (2-4) threw 5.2 innings of relief, giving up just five hits. She walked none and struck out five in her best outing of the season in the circle.

Six different Shockers recorded multi-hit games. For the second straight game, Lauren Lucas tallied a career-high tying three hits. She finished a home run shy of the cycle to go with two RBI. Neleigh Herring went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, Sydney McKinney scored three times to go with a pair of singles, Zoe Jones singled twice to go with two runs and two RBI and Addison Barnard and Lainee Brown both singled twice.

Wichita State, just like in the first two games of the Jayhawk Invitational, jumped out to an early lead. Herring smashed a first inning three-run home run and Krystin Nelson poked an RBI single through the right side to give the Shockers a 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second Kansas looked to put up a big inning of its own, but Lauren Lucas had other intentions. With runners on second and third and only one out, McDonald got a fly out to Lucas in right, which led to the Jayhawk on third tagging up to try and score. Lucas fired a laser to home, cutting down the runner and escaping any further damage.

The Shockers pushed their lead back to four in the top of the fourth behind McKinney scoring on a wild pitch and a bases loaded walk by Jones.

Three insurance runs came in the top of the seventh on Jones' RBI single and Lucas' two-run single.

Up Next
Wichita State travels to Omaha, Neb., to face the Omaha Mavericks Wednesday at 4 p.m.