Wichita State broke a scoreless tie with a seventh-inning squeeze play to edge Missouri State 1-0 Tuesday afternoon at Wilkins Stadium. The Bears are now 14-6 overall and 3-3 in Missouri Valley Conference action, while the Shockers improve to 23-12 and 5-2 respectively.
Senior Melissa Porche (8-4) took the hard-luck loss for the Bears, yielding just three hits and the lone run in the contest. Porche struck out five WSU batters and walked two. The Shockers’ Ashly Bright won the duel of the MVC Pitchers of the Week however, hurling a one-hit shutout in which she struck out 13 MSU batters.
Missouri State threatened in the top of the seventh. With one out Jessie Smith walked and stole second, but Bright squelched the threat by striking out Porche and Jana Shewmaker.
Jamie Hall’s squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh brought home Lindsie Mitts with the game winner for the Shockers.
Freshman Jenna Schwark recorded the Bears’ lone hit, a two-out single through the left side in the top of the fifth.
MSU will play a doubleheader at Kansas Wednesday (March 26) starting at 3 p.m. in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks are off to their best start since 1992 and are 23-8 overall.
