UH softball shortstop Brooke Lorenzo drove in three runs in three games against No. 20 Wichita State over the weekend. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
UH softball salvaged its three-game road series with American Athletic Conference foe Wichita State, taking the series finale to win one of three against the 20th-ranked Shockers.
Here is a closer look at each game:
Game 1
Wichita State came alive in the third inning, scoring five runs to take a commanding lead.
UH would cut the Wichita State lead down in the fourth inning, scoring two runs via a fly-out and RBI hit by sophomore shortstop Brooke Lorenzo. The Cougars tied the game in the fifth as sophomore catcher Emma Robertson hit a solo home run followed by graduate student catcher Kati Ray Brown driving in a run on a single and another run resulting from a wild pitch.
Wichita State retook the lead, 6-5, scoring a run in the bottom half of the inning.
The Cougars once again tied things in the sixth as senior outfielder Paige Hulsey scored off a Shockers error.
Neither team scored again until the tenth inning when UH pulled ahead on a Brown solo homer to left field.
UH’s lead was short-lived as Wichita State evened the score in the bottom half of the inning. The Shockers walked it off in the 11th inning, taking the series opener.
Game 2
Game two was another close one.
Wichita State got on the board quickly, scoring two runs in the first inning.
In the top of the second, a double from Lorenzo brought Hulsey home for UH’s first run of the game.
Wichita State scored another run in the bottom half of the inning to make the Shocker lead 3-1 early.
A three-run fourth inning highlighted by a two-run double from senior infielder Bree Cantu put the Cougars on top. But UH was once again unable to hold its lead, as Wichita State responded with two runs in the sixth inning en route to a 5-4 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Game 3
The Cougars’ fortunes finally turned around in Sunday’s series finale as graduate right-handed pitcher Kenna Wilkey through a shutout, powering UH to a 4-0 victory.
Cantu got the scoring started with a solo shot to right field in the third to put UH up 1-0.
The next run did not come until the sixth inning when a sophomore infielder Baylea Myers hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Hulsey.
In the seventh, UH added two insurance runs before Wilkey closed the door in the bottom half of the inning.
UH now sits at 19-21 overall and 6-3 in AAC play.
