WICHITA, Kan. – No. 25 Wichita State needed a walk-off hit from
Lauren Lucas to defeat Western Illinois, 2-1, in eight innings Sunday evening at Wilkins Stadium to finish the weekend 4-0.
Wichita State (16-3) upped its win streak to 11 behind the extra inning win over Western Illinois and Bradley earlier in the day, 9-2.
Game 1 vs. Bradley
Lauren Mills led the offensive attack vs. the Braves, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.
Lauren Lucas,
Lainee Brown and
Taylor Sedlacek all had multiple hit games. Brown doubled and scored twice, while Sedlacek came in to score three times with a pair of singles. Lucas singled twice, scored and drove in a run.
Sydney McKinney was 1-for-4 with two RBI and
Camryn Compton homered for the first time this season.
Alison Cooper improved to 5-1 in the circle behind the complete game. She allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits and a walk.
Just like Saturday, Bradley jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind an unearned run in the top of the first. Cooper was able to limit the damage to just the lone run, stranding the bases loaded.
Wichita State finally broke into the scoring column behind a four-run third inning. Compton led off the inning with a solo shot, her first of the year. A McKinney RBI groundout put the Shockers in front, 2-1, and then Jones delivered the big blow with a two-run homer to dead center.
Back-to-back RBI singles from McKinney and Lucas in the fourth upped the Shockers' lead to 6-1.
More run support came in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, courtesy of a three-run home run from Mills.
Game 2 vs. Western Illinois
Wichita State finished the game with only six hits – all from different Shockers.
Sydney McKinney,
Lauren Lucas,
Lainee Brown,
Taylor Sedlacek,
Jessica Garcia and
Camryn Compton recorded hits, but it was Lucas and Garcia with the only RBI's.
Kenzie Schopfer made her first start of the season in the circle and went 4.0 innings, allowing the one run on two hits.
Lauren Howell picked up her seventh win in 4.0 innings of relief. She struck out four.
Western Illinois scored its lone run in the second inning on a leadoff solo home run.
It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth that Wichita State finally broke into the scoring column on Garcia's RBI single.
Wichita State left the winning run on third in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extras. McKinney opened the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff bunt single, and then stole second, setting up the game-winner for Lucas.
Down in the count 1-2, Lucas sent a line drive into the left-center gap for the walk-off RBI.