Softball | 3/14/2023 9:46:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Lauren Howell wanted the ball for all the obvious reasons and she never gave it back.
No. 23 Wichita State run-ruled No. 9 Arkansas 10-2 in six innings with Howell holding the Razorbacks to five hits and striking out four on Tuesday at Wilkins Stadium. An eight-run first inning – with three home runs – powered the Shockers (20-5) and set Howell up for a strong night against her former teammates.
Howell spent two seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Wichita State. After the game, she hugged and talked with Razorbacks friends. Over the previous two hours, she kept them off-balance with her rise ball and changeup, inducing six popups on the infield, four flyball outs and three foul outs.
She admitted to a few more nerves than usual.
"I wanted to win this game pretty bad," she said. "I wanted the ball. I was ready to go."
That was what coach
Kristi Bredbenner wanted to hear.
"She threw one of the best games I've seen her throw," Bredbenner said. "When they want the ball, you have a good feeling that there's going to be some emotion in a positive way."
The Razorbacks (20-7) took a 1-0 lead on a one-out walk and a double by Rylin Hedgecock. Kacie Hoffman led off the second with a single and was stranded there to start a streak of 13 straight batters retired. Arkansas didn't produce another runner until the sixth inning.
"Her rise ball was really jumping and they couldn't get on top of it," catcher
Lainee Brown said. "They were just swinging and couldn't touch it, really."
Howell, a junior from Jefferson City, Mo., pitched infrequently at Arkansas and talked about considering giving up the sport before deciding on Wichita State. Bredbenner told her the Shockers needed her to be a leader on the staff and win big games.
Over the past four days, she did just that with a 10-1 win over Nebraska and Tuesday's performance against Arkansas.
"She did a really good job of managing the zone, not trying to do too much," Bredbenner said. "We were trying to jam them up a little bit, try to get them to swing out of the zone a little bit and I thought she did a nice job."
That was Howell's thought, as well. She disrupted the timing of the Razorbacks, who won the 2022 SEC title and advanced to a super regional, and watched them take weak swings.
"I was focusing on my spins and my spots, spinning it through the zone, getting ahead," she said. "I really was not focusing too much on overpowering this team, because I know they can hit great pitching."
Shortstop
Sydney McKinney had a good idea how much Tuesday's game meant to Howell. She transferred to WSU from Missouri.
"I'm so proud of her, because I know what it feels like to transfer away and just want to beat that team so bad," McKinney said. "We finally got that Mizzou win in the fall and it felt so good. She did her job really well."
McKinney started the first inning with a single and scored on
Lauren Lucas' three-run home run. McKinney ended the scoring in the inning with a three-run home run. In between,
Lauren Mills drove in two runs with her homer.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
