Wichita State Athletics

Softball

USF, UCF Remain Unbeaten in Conference Play Following Friday Matchups

Wichita State 8, UConn 2 Recap Box Score
USF 4, Memphis 0 Recap Box Score
UCF 7, Houston 2 Recap Box Score
Tulsa 4, ECU 1 Recap Box Score


Wichita State 8, UConn 2
The Wichita State softball team defeated the UConn Huskies, 8-2, in Storrs to hit the 20 win mark for the fifth consecutive year under head coach Kristi Bredbenner. Ryleigh Buck and Mackenzie Wright led the bats, both going 2-for-3, with Buck batting in two runners and Wright one; Wright also got her 200th career hit in the victory. Buck used a triple in the first to put the Shockers up 2-0. Wichita State then got two runners on in the third with Paige Luellen and Buck drawing walks but the Shockers couldn't get them home; in the bottom half the Huskies cut the Shocker lead in half with a leadoff double and a single getting a runner home. In the fourth, a throwing error by the pitcher to first base got Morgan Palmer to second and Mckenzie Weber home. Wright then singled into right center, her 200th career hit, to get Palmer home and push the lead to 4-1. Four more runs in the sixth pushed the lead out of reach for UConn.

USF 4, Memphis 0
Sophomore Brooke Hartman sent two home runs over the fence against Memphis in the Bulls' 4-0 win Friday afternoon. USF (27-13, 5-0) remains undefeated in The American with its five-game win streak. USF kicked off the game with a hard single to shortstop by senior Astin Donovan, and sophomore Brooke Hartman slammed a home run straight over centerfield fence to score two in the top first inning. In the fourth inning, junior Mia Fung reached first on an error, and freshman Brooke Leistl entered to pinch run at first. Leistl stole second and made it home on a single by sophomore Kelsey Lay. Hartman capped off the win with a seventh inning slam over left field and extended the Bulls lead to 4-0. Junior Cheyenne Eggens earned her fourth shutout of the season and her seventh win.

UCF 7, Houston 2
A trio of home runs breezed the UCF Knights past Houston Friday evening after they trounced the Cougars, 7-2, for their sixth consecutive victory. Alea White picked up her 18th win of the season, striking out six Cougars and allowing just six hits and two runs. Aubrey Johnson went 3-for-4 with a home run and a pair of RBI in the win, while Cassady Brewer and Jazmine Esparza also added a home run each. UCF drew first blood in the first inning with a home run to straight-away center by Johnson to go up 1-0. Courtney Rotton followed by drawing a walk to bring up Brewer, who crushed a shot over the right field fence to add two more runs in the inning to extend the Knights' lead to 3-0. In the second, it was Johnson again who brought in another run for the Knights, roping a single to the left side to push Greenwell across to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Houston's Arielle James collected a home run in the seventh inning in a last chance effort, but the UCF defense shut the Cougars down for a 7-2 final.

Tulsa 4, ECU 1
Sarah Briers went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Haley Meinen hit two doubles as Tulsa claimed a series win with a 4-1 victory over ECU on Friday night at Collins Family Softball Complex. Samantha Pochop improved to 7-5 in the circle with one run allowed on three hits over four innings to go along with five strikeouts for the Golden Hurricane (21-14, 2-3). Emily Watson finished off the game with three scoreless innings to pick up her first save of the season. Meanwhile, Julia Hollingsworth also helped fuel the offense with a pair of hits and a run scored as TU plated all four of its runs in the bottom of the third. The Pirates (15-20, 1-4) jumped ahead with a run in the top of the first off of two hits and an error. TU was unable to score after putting two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second, but the Hurricane broke through with its game-deciding four-run inning in the third. Mikayla Whitten and Hollingsworth singled to start the frame before Morgan Neal tied the score with an RBI grounder. Shelby Estocado then put Tulsa ahead for good with a double to right field that plated Hollingsworth.