RUSTON, La. – ACU softball dropped a pair of games to open the Louisiana Tech Invitational Friday afternoon, falling to the Wichita State Shockers and Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. The Wildcats (1-5) trailed the entire way against Wichita State, eventually falling 5-1 before dropping a 10-2 game two against Southeast Mo.
ACU will play two more Saturday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. with a matchup against Mississippi Valley State. The day wraps up with a 3 p.m. start time against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Wichita State 5 – ACU 1
The Shockers put up a run in each of the first three innings, and built a 4-0 lead through five frames against ACU starter
Samantha Bradley. The sophomore went six innings, allowed five earned on 10 hits, and added a pair of strikeouts. The Wildcats got on the board in their half of the fifth, but it was not enough.
Junior
Blair Clayton launched her first home run of the season to center field, but Wichita State answered with a run in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 5-1. Clayton,
Katelyn Belch, and
Calie Burris tallied the three ACU hits in the game.
Southeast Missouri State 10 – ACU 2
The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, when sophomore
Kayla Keeling hit her first long ball of the season, a two-run shot to right field. However, the Redhawks would answer, take the lead, and never trail again.
Four home runs in two innings led to five runs for SEMO, and it would go on to add two in the fifth and two in the sixth to put the game out of reach. ACU starter
Jillian Hefner dropped to 0-1 on the year after 2.1 innings of work. Burris came in for 1.2 innings of relief, while Bradley got the final out for the pitching staff.
Offensively, Keeling, Bradley,
Briana Tijerina, and
Anna Grace Johnson recorded the four hits for the Wildcats.
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