WICHITA, Kan. - Tulsa clipped Wichita State, 11-10, in the series opener Friday night at Wilkins Stadium in a game that featured 21 runs on 24 hits.
Wichita State (19-15, 7-6) dropped its fourth straight game, but will look to even the series Friday night in Game 2 with first pitch at 6 p.m.
Trinity Allen led the offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs, marking her second multi-home run game of the season.
Jodie Epperson was 2-for-4 with a home run and a pair of runs scored. The three freshmen in the lineup:
Kinzey Woody,
Kammie Smith and
Mackenzie Rooney each logged a hit and an RBI.
Ryley Nihart (7-9) only made it through 2.0 innings in the start, as she allowed four runs on five hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
Gabby Fakes tossed 3.0 innings in relief, allowing five runs on seven hits and
Ava Sliger closed the final 2.0 innings. She surrendered two runs on two hits and two walks.
Tulsa jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning behind a two-run double and a pair of RBI singles.
The Golden Hurricane extended their lead to 5-0 in the top of the third on another RBI single. Finally Wichita State broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout from
Ausha Moore and an RBI single from Woody.
Tulsa got both of those runs back plus one more in the top of the fourth on an RBI double and two-run home run to take a commanding 8-2 lead. Wichita State immediately answered with four runs in the home half on Rooney's RBI fielder's choice and Allen's first of two home runs - a three-run blast to right.
Epperson made it 8-7 in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homer.
Again, Tulsa had a response. Three more runs came across in the top of the sixth, extending the lead back to four, 11-7.
One final push came in the bottom of the sixth when Wichita State scratched out three runs on Allen's second big fly and Smith's RBI double off the wall in center. Smith missed a go-ahead three-run home run by a couple feet. Tulsa stranded the game-tying run on third base to escape with a one-run lead into the seventh.
Wichita State went down in order in the bottom of the seventh on three strikeouts.
