WICHITA, Kan. – Behind Sami Hood's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, Wichita State secured another conference series win, defeating East Carolina in a wild game Saturday night at Wilkins Stadium, 9-8.

Wichita State (21-18-1, 9-7-1) ran its winning streak to 12 in a row over the Pirates and can record its first sweep of the season with a win Sunday in the finale.

The birthday girl Ellee Eck went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Jodie Epperson singled and doubled to go with an RBI and two runs scored. Krystin Nelson was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Taylor Sedlacek hit her 11th home run of the season and 30th of her career, moving her into a tie for 10th all time at Wichita State.

Ava Sliger (5-4) picked up the win in 3.0 innings of relief for start Chloe Barber. Sliger allowed no earned runs on four hits with a strikeout. Barber had her stuff working early, but a couple defensive lapses led to six ECU runs. She finished with seven strikeouts in 4.0 innings.

The Pirates opened the scoring in the top of the third after a pop-up in the infield dropped, putting runners on the corners with one out instead of there just being a runner on first and two outs. The very next batter, Annie Kate Dalton, hit a high fly ball that the wind carried over the wall in left to make it 3-0.

Wichita State's bats were quiet until the bottom of the fourth when the Shockers put six runs on the board. Epperson put the Shockers on the board with an RBI single through the right side. Wichita State then cut the deficit to 3-2 when a run scored on Hood's strikeout swinging wild pitch. With two outs, Nelson smacked a single to right, bringing in two runs to put Wichita State on top, 4-3.

That set the table for a two-run birthday bomb from Eck to cap a six-run frame.

ECU immediately answered in the top of the fifth. The first two Pirates reached on an error and walk, bringing up three-hole hitter Morgan Johnson. The powerful right-hander smashed the second pitch of the at bat over the wall in dead center to tie the game at 6-6.

Following the home run, Sliger replaced Barber in the circle and immediately found herself in a hole as the first two hitters reached on back-to-back singles. After a sac bunt moved the runners to second and third, Sliger induced a 1-3 groundout and a lineout to short to escape any further damage.

In the bottom of the fifth, Wichita State came right back with two more runs. The first on Sedlacek's no-doubt solo home run. Hood then put the Shockers up 8-6 on an RBI sac bunt.

Trailing by two runs in the top of the sixth, ECU again had a response. An RBI double from Johnson and a sac fly tied the game at 8-8.

A scoreless bottom of the sixth for Wichita State and top of the seventh for ECU, moved the Shockers into winning position in the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff double from Epperson had the Shockers in business right away. Gabby Scott moved her to third with a sac bunt, bringing Hood to the plate.

With the infield in, the Allen, Texas, native hit a screamer just past the third baseman, scoring Epperson uncontested for the walk-off victory.

Up Next
Wichita State and East Carolina wrap up the series Sunday at 12 p.m. on ESPN+.