PHOENIX – Another strong pitching performance paved the way for the Wichita State softball team to pick up wins over Colgate (6-0) and Montana (8-1) on Saturday afternoon at the GCU Softball Complex.
 
The Shockers are now 4-0 on the season after the pair of Saturday wins.
 
Game 1: Wichita State 6, Colgate 0
 
The Shockers started game one of the day hot, scoring four runs in the opening frame to take the early lead over Colgate. Jodie Epperson scored first, making her way home from third on a miscue by the Raider infield, and junior Sami Hood followed up by smashing her first homer of the year, a three-run bomb that just eclipsed the wall in left field to quadruple the Shocker run total early.
 
Bats fell silent on both sides after the top of the first as pitching dominated the next two innings. Wichita State's Catelyn Beckerley broke the silence with a no-doubt solo home run to left field to give the Shockers a 5-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth. The freshman now has two home runs in her first four collegiate games.
 
Making her first collegiate start, Wichita State's Erica Schertz shutout the Raiders for 3.0 innings before giving way to Alex Aguilar with two runners on and nobody out in the bottom of the fourth. Aguilar worked the Shockers out of the jam via a foul out, strikeout and lineout combo to end the fourth inning with WSU up 5-0.
 
In the fifth, Epperson hit a leadoff triple to right field and came in to score a couple of pitches later on a sacrifice fly by Lauren Lucas, extending the Shocker lead to 6-0.
 
Aguilar remained in the game for the fifth inning and made quick work of Colgate, moving the game to the sixth inning with the Shockers still up 6-0.
 
In the Shocker sixth, Brookelyn Livanec recorded a two-out single for her first collegiate hit but was stranded at first base to end the inning. 
 
In the bottom half of the inning, freshman Ryley Nihart entered the circle, making her collegiate debut. The Alvin, Texas native had no trouble with Colgate in the inning, setting the Raiders down in order.
 
In the seventh, Sydney Zenon recorded a pinch-hit single off the wall to record her first hit of the season and Chloe Barber followed that with a pinch-hit single of her own, but both were left stranded.
 
Nihart closed out the win for WSU in the bottom half, maintaining the shutout with another flawless inning in relief.
 
Taylor Sedlacek led the Shocker bats with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. The Shocker pitchers threw a combined two-hitter and struck out seven as a staff in the game. Aguilar recorded the win for WSU behind 2.0 innings of work and two strikeouts.
 
Game 2: Montana 1, Wichita State 8
 
Against Montana in game two of the day, Epperson once again opened the scoring, this time coming in to score on a sacrifice fly from Caroline Tallent in the bottom of the first inning.
 
In the top of the third, starter Ava Sliger got into major trouble, loading the bases with only one out. The Shockers brought Chloe Barber out of the bullpen to avoid any major damage. Montana scored shortly after the change via a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1, but the sophomore pitcher let things go no further, getting the final out to end the inning.
 
In the bottom half, Lucas gave the Shockers the lead right back with a solo homer to right field, making it 2-1 Shockers.
 
After a quiet fourth inning, Lucas came through in the bottom of the fifth, hitting an RBI double down the left field line to drive in Ellee Eck to double the Shocker lead to 3-1. Later in the inning, Tallent made it 4-1 Shockers by legging out an infield single that allowed Lucas to score from third.
 
In the sixth, the Shockers blew open the game, bringing four runs across in the inning. Eck drove in the first, smashing a double through the right side to score Beckerley. Soon after, Lucas recorded her fourth hit of the game, a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 7-1. Later, Camryn Compton drew a pinch-hit walk with the bases loaded to increase the Shocker lead to 8-1.
 
In the seventh, Barber had some trouble closing the game, as Colgate loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Barber recovered, recording a strikeout and groundout to end the game with the Shockers on top, 8-1.
 
Lucas went 4-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Shockers in the second game of the day. Her four hits tied a career high, while also adding a career-best two stolen bases. Barber's performance out of the bullpen earned her the win, her second on the young season.
 
Next Up
The Shockers are set for a rematch with Colgate at 10:00 AM CT on Sunday to wrap up play in Phoenix.