Friday, April 16
No. 25 Wichita State 7, No. 23 UCF 0
Redshirt senior Bailey Lange tossed a one-hit complete game shutout in the series opener at No. 23 UCF Friday night, as the 25th-ranked Shockers cruised to a 7-0 win.
Wichita State (30-5, 12-1) held the Knights to a season-low one hit and held them scoreless for the first time since 2019. The win also extended Wichita State's season-long win streak to 11 in a row, which is tied for the second longest in school history.
The Shockers' 12 conference wins equals the most they've recorded since joining the American Athletic Conference. They finished 12-9 in both 2018 and 2019.
Wichita State pounded out nine hits on the night to go along with six walks issued by UCF.
Lange (15-2) was dominant from the first batter, finishing with five strikeouts and one walk. The lone hit allowed was an infield single that grazed off Lange's glove into the hole between short and third base.
Lauren Mills hit the team's 72nd home run of the season, a towering two-run shot for her ninth of the season. Mills was 2-for-3 on the night with the two RBI. Ryleigh Buck was 2-for-3 with a double. Kaylee Huecker drove in a pair of runs on a double and Addison Barnard did the same.
Wichita State threatened in each of the first two innings, but stranded five runners on base with nothing to show for it. In the top of the third the Shockers finally broke through. Huecker delivered a two-out, two-run double to put Wichita State in front 2-0.
A three-run top of the sixth increased the advantage to five. Barnard's two-run double was the big one in the frame and then Perrigan added the final run on a sacrifice fly.
Mills provided the cherry on top with her two-run homer to give the Shockers a comfortable 7-0 lead.
Houston 6, East Carolina 4
A two-run home run from senior Aspen Howie in the bottom of the sixth lifted the University of Houston Softball team to a 6-4 win over East Carolina on Friday.
The win for Houston snaps the Cougars' (11-26, 2-11 AAC) six-game skid, having earned their second win in American Athletic Conference action. Houston also struck out 10 Pirates (10-22, 1-8 AAC), marking a season-high.
On the day, Houston recorded 10 hits, its fifth peformance this season with double-digit hits and first since Feb. 28 against Abilene Christian. With six runs, the Cougars have also scored five or more runs in three their last five games.
Howie was one of three Houston players to have collected multiple hits in the game, with redshirt senior Lindsey Stewart-Vaughn and junior Bethay Busch joining her. Stewart-Vaughn's two-run home run in the fifth tied the game at four.
In the circle, junior Rachel Hertenberger struck out a season-high seven batters and allowed no earned runs in her nearly five innings of work. Sophomore Logan Hulon came out of the bullpen to earn her first win of the season.
KEY INNINGS
2nd | After Busch led the inning off with a single in the gap, junior Kati Ray Brown then came to the plate and roped a single of her own down the line to score Busch and put Houston ahead by two.
5th | The Pirates scored four runs in the top of the inning to take a two-run lead of their own, but the Cougars came right back and responded with a pair to tie the score at four. With sophomore Paige Hulsey on base, Stewart-Vaughn sent a two-strike pitch over the wall for her third home run of the season.
6th | Busch got the offense going again with another leadoff hit, which Howie immediately capitalized on with a two-run shot to put Houston back in front, which proved to be the difference in the game.
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Lindsey Stewart-Vaughn | 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBIs
Aspen Howie | 2-3, HR, 2 RBIs, R
Bethany Busch | 2-3, 2 R, 2B
Kati Ray Brown | 1-3, RBI
Paige Hulsey | 1-2, R
PITCHING BREAKDOWN
Rachel Hertenberger | 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Logan Hulon (W, 1-5) | 2.1 IP, H, 3 K