WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State completed the series sweep of Memphis on the final day of the regular season with a 10-5 win Saturday afternoon at Wilkins Stadium, and secured a share of the American Conference regular season title.
Wichita State (35-16, 21-6) will be the No. 2 seed in next week's American Conference Championship after South Florida completed a sweep of North Texas. The Bulls will be the top seed after owning the tiebreaker. Wichita State will receive a double bye into the semifinals where they wait to see their opponent. The Shockers will take the field Friday, May 8 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
The regular season championship is Wichita State's third as a member of the American and first since 2023.
Ausha Moore completed a stellar final weekend with a 3-for-4 day, including a home run and three runs scored. In her final home game as a Shocker,
Jodie Epperson registered three hits, an RBI and scored twice.
Mackenzie Rooney had a big afternoon at the bottom of the lineup with a home run and a season-high four RBIs.
Trinity Allen posted her second straight multi-hit game with a 2-for-2 day and two RBIs.
Aeryn Shuman had yet another two-hit game to put a bow on a red-hot final month of the season.
Ryley Nihart tied a season high with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings. She earned a no decision on five hits and four runs.
Jade Sanders recorded the win out of the bullpen, tossing the final 2.2 innings. She finished with four strikeouts and no walks.
Memphis jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a pair of doubles.
Moore had the answer for Wichita State in the home half on an absolute bomb of a solo home run, her 22nd of the year. Her 22 home runs are tied for third most in a single season in program history.
The Shockers grabbed their first lead in the bottom of the second on Rooney's two-run blast, taking a 3-1 lead.
A sac fly from Allen pushed the margin to 4-1 in the third.
After a Memphis RBI single in the top of the fourth cut it to 4-2, Allen came through again, this time with an RBI single to give the Shockers a 5-2 advantage.
The feisty Tigers would not go away. A three-run top of the fifth tied the game at 5-5.
Looking to retake the momentum, it was Rooney again with a timely hit. The freshman drove in two on a sharp single through the right side.
Wichita State would tack on three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on an Epperson RBI single and a Memphis wild pitch and throwing error.
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