WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State opened Friday's doubleheader with a 7-3 win over Charlotte, but dropped the nightcap, 10-8, at Wilkins Stadium.
Game 1: Charlotte 3, Wichita State 7
Jodie Epperson went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
Ellee Eck continued her hot stretch going 2-for-4 with a home run.
Taylor Sedlacek singled, doubled and scored twice.
Brookelyn Livanec had a pair of singles to go with an RBI.
Sami Hood rounded out the multi-hit parade with a single and double.
Ryley Nihart (8-5) threw a complete game, allowing only one earned run on five hits and two walks.
Two batters into the bottom of the first, Wichita State led 2-0 thanks to back-to-back home runs from Eck and Lucas. For Eck, it marked her fourth home run in her last four at bats. The Shockers made it 3-0 on an Epperson RBI single through the left side.
Epperson upped it to 4-0 in the third on her sixth home run of the season.
The Shockers added a run in the fourth on a wild pitch and two more in the fifth on a Charlotte error and another wild pitch.
Charlotte broke up the shutout in the top of the sixth after a pair of errors led to a three-run home run.
Game 2: Charlotte 10, Wichita State 8
Taylor Sedlacek homered twice and drove in four runs, giving her 14 home runs this season.
Lauren Lucas was 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Ellee Eck scored twice to go with a single and
Krystin Nelson had a pair of singles.
Wichita State's first three hitters in the lineup were a combined 5-for-9, while the rest of the order finished 3-for-20.
Wichita State again hung a crooked number on the board in the first inning, scoring two runs on no hits. Eck walked, stole second and came in to score on Lucas' sac bunt and two-base error. A
Camryn Compton safety squeeze brought Lucas to make it 2-0.
Charlotte would answer in the top of the second with three runs despite only getting one hit in the frame.
The Niners broke it open in the top of the third behind three runs to take a 6-2 lead. Back-to-back solo home runs from Lucas and Sedlacek cut it to 6-4 in the home half of the third.
A run in the fifth, two in the sixth and one more in the seventh sent Charlotte into the bottom of the seventh leading 10-4.
With the Shockers facing a six-run deficit and just three outs remaining, Nelson was able to turn the lineup over with a leadoff single. After an Eck single, Lucas added a third straight single, bringing in Nelson from second to make it 10-5. Sedlacek then stepped in and crushed a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left, cutting the deficit to 10-8. But the rally would end there as the next three Shockers went down in order, ending the comeback bid.
Up Next
Wichita State and Charlotte wrap up the series Saturday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.