The RoundHouse | 4/1/2023 6:53:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Five minutes, 12 pitches, seven foul balls and a full count.
Lauren Lucas' clinic on staying alive, spoiling pitches, learning and adjusting started in an 0-2 hole and continued on that razor's edge for 10 more pitches.
"I was just trying to put the bat on anything," Lucas said.
No. 23 Wichita State defeated USF 8-3 to open a crucial American Athletic Conference series. Lucas provided the drama with that fifth-inning sequence that culminated with a three-run double and a one-run lead.
"She battled and battled and battled," Wichita State coach
Kristi Bredbenner said. "Lauren adjusted within that at-bat. If we can wear down, and get as many looks as possible, then you're going to get on time."
Lucas, who struck out her first two at-bats, fouled off six two-strike pitches from USF's Gabriella Nori, two with the count full. On the 12
th pitch of the at-bat - after 4 minutes, 59 seconds of flipping pitches toward foul territory behind third base, taking a close pitch down 0-2 and working the count full - she smacked a double to center field that hit the wall on the bounce and cleared the bases to build a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning.
"In my first two at-bats, I learned I had to be less picky and go after those pitches a little bit more," Lucas said. "Maybe move up in the box so I could catch them before they break. I was doing anything to get a sac fly, make something happen. Sometimes you get a little lucky and get more than one (run) and we ended up with three."
While the Shocker hitters worked their way through Nori and into the bullpen, reliever
Alison Cooper excelled in relief of
Lauren Howell. Cooper threw four scoreless no-hit innings for the Shockers (28-7, 3-1 American).
Nori frustrated the Shockers with five strikeouts and a series of pop flys. She kept the Shockers guessing by moving the ball around to build a 3-1 lead entering the fifth.
"It took us a little while to adjust," Bredbenner said. "We just didn't look like we had a really good pulse on what we were getting. She mixed speeds. She spun the ball really well."
Lucas' double knocked Nori out of the game. Reliever Lexi Kopko ended the rally to keep the Bulls (22-16, 3-1) within one run. Kopko retired the first two hitters in the sixth before Bredbenner asked associate head coach
Elizabeth Economon to choose a pinch-hitter.
Economon wanted a right-hander against the lefty. She wanted a hitter who could handle changeups and handle pitches low in the strike zone. That led her to
Bailey Urban, a redshirt sophomore hitting .167.
Urban homered.
Sydney McKinney doubled.
Addison Barnard homered. Lucas homered.
Urban started in the outfield for the Shockers in 2022 and hit .333 with three home runs in 16 games before a knee injury ended her season. She has started 11 times this season as she works to restore confidence in her leg and get her timing back with the bat.
Her approach to pinch-hitting keeps her mind clear and a basic plan.
"I really try to not do too much," Urban said. "Just trying to keep myself calm and collected and find a good pitch."
As her return proceeds, her first homer since Feb. 25, 2022, can serve as a marker.
"Everybody keeps telling me – because obviously this year hasn't gone how I would have wanted it to, so far – that I'm one hard hit away," she said. "This is really important to me."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
