The RoundHouse | 4/23/2022 7:45:00 AM
Lauren Lucas loves her closeup view of
Addison Barnard at the plate. She sympathizes with the pitcher, presented with a rare combination of speed and power. As the No. 3 batter in the Wichita State lineup, Lucas enjoys the likelihood that when it is her time to bat, she can either drive in runs or face a pitcher already in a bad place.
"I can't imagine being the pitcher facing her," Lucas said. "Is she going to hit a home run? Is she going to hit a triple? She typically clears the bases, and then I get to start a rally."
Friday provided an ideal night to muse about Barnard after Wichita State's 10-1 win in five innings over Memphis at Wilkins Stadium. Barnard, a sophomore right fielder, hit home run No. 23 this season to break the record she set last season. Her two-run blast in the third inning sailed over the scoreboard in left field and gave the Shockers an 8-1 lead. As usual, it drove in
Sydney McKinney, the leadoff hitter who is hitting .482.
Barnard leads the nation in home runs and, with 24 stolen bases, is the lone player in the nation with 20-plus homers and steals.
Wichita State (26-13, 8-2 American Athletic Conference) won its sixth straight game, three by run rule.
Neleigh Herring and
Jessica Garcia also homered. Herring's grand slam gave the Shockers a 5-1 lead in the first inning and was her 12th home run this season.
The Shockers defeated Memphis (16-30, 2-11) for the eighth straight time. Pitcher
Caitlin Bingham held the Tigers to six hits.
The teams meet again at 1 p.m. Saturday at Wilkins Stadium.
The Shockers kept pace in the American with first-place UCF (38-10, 10-0), 4-1 winners in eight innings at Houston on Friday. They gained space on Houston (26-13, 7-5-1) in third place.
Barnard, who went 2 for 4, hit career home run No. 45, 13 behind Wichita State's top mark.
"I've never played with anybody like her," said second baseman
Zoe Jones, who hits fourth. "It's insane how level-headed she is, and she is confident in her swing. Learning from her has been crazy. If I'm not feeling it in my swing, I ask Addie."
Barnard knew she tied the record with two home runs against Kansas on Wednesday. Her attitude about breaking her mark was consistent with how she thinks about all her home runs – hit it, enjoy it, move on to the next thing.
"After I hit it, I did think 'Wow, that's awesome,'" she said. "Then it's time to keep grinding, and I've just got to hit the ball hard."
Memphis pitcher Kailey Hilderbrand presented a bit of a challenge with her changeup. Slower pitches give Barnard more time to think. She prefers the instant decision forced by a faster pitch – see it, react, swing and trust.
"I was getting a little anxious before, so I knew I had to sit back and stay through the ball," Barnard said. "Honestly, on that pitch, I was second-guessing. On a slower pitcher, it's harder for me to sit back. I'm thinking."
Bingham continued Wichita State's recent upward trend in the circle. She struck out four and didn't walk a batter. The Tigers got three of their hits in the first inning to score their run. She retired the next seven batters and didn't give up another hit until the Shockers led 8-1 in the fourth.
"She's a good matchup for them, especially with this wind and keeping the ball down," coach
Kristi Bredbenner said. "They're fast. They want to put the ball in play and run. Defensively, we did a nice job of holding them down. Killer defense. Good pitching."
On a big night for offense, the Shockers helped Bingham with two double plays and ended the game on a throw from centerfielder
Lauren Lucas to catcher
Lainee Brown for an out at home plate.
"I didn't think we had a chance," Bredbenner said. "It unfolded in a perfect way."
With a runner on second, Lucas was playing in, which helped her get to the softly hit ball after it bounced past second base. She scooped it up on the run and threw a one-hopper up the third-base side to get Memphis' Presley Morris. Brown reached out to catch the ball and apply the tag to a sliding Morris.
"Lainee was the all-star of that play," Lucas said. "She did a really good job of picking it and putting down the tag."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
