SAN ANTONIO — Lindsey Davis had a pair of hits and Sabrina Wick recorded her first triple of the season, but Wichita State held off a UTSA rally in the bottom of the fifth inning in a 12-2 victory in the American Athletic Conference series opener on Friday in front of a sold out Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners fell to 13-15 overall and 1-6 in league action with the loss.
The Shockers improved to 14-14 and 3-4 after registering 15 hits, including a pair of sixth-inning home runs to break the game open. Sami Hood led WSU with three hits, while four other Shockers logged a pair of hits apiece.
WSU plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first to take an early lead. Lauren Lucas reached on a one-out error and Brookelyn Livanec followed with an infield single to put runners at first and second base. Taylor Sedlacek drove in Lucas with a double to the fence in right field, while Livanec came home on a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 2-0.
The visitors tacked on two more runs in the fourth on an RBI-single through the left side of the infield by Gabby Scott and a bases-loaded fielder’s choice of the bat of Krystin Nelson.
The Shockers grew their lead to 5-0 in the fifth when Camryn Compton scored on an infield single to the shortstop.
The Roadrunners broke through for their first runs of the game in the bottom of the frame. Davis’ base hit up the middle started a two-out rally, as she scored on a triple to the gap in right center by Wick to make it 5-1. Skylar Rucker then drove a double to the wall in left center to plate Wick. Jaylen Prichard drew a walk and Kalee Rochinski was hit by a pitch to load the bases and send starting pitcher Ryley Nihart out of the game. Alex Aguilar came on in relief and induced a groundout to the first baseman to end the threat.
WSU answered in the top of the sixth, scoring seven runs on five hits including a three-run home run by Compton and a two-run shot by Hood.
Nihart earned the win for the Shockers, allowing two earned runs on five hits in 4.2 innings. Aguilar, who came on with the tying run at first, picked up the save.
Reagan Stoudt (0-4) was charged with the loss for UTSA after surrendering two runs (both unearned) on four hits in three frames.
Game two of the three-game set is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday.
Keep up with UTSA Softball all season long on goutsa.com, and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSASB, X (Twitter) @UTSASoftball, and on Instagram @utsasoftball.
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