WICHITA, Kan. — The No. 9 seeded UTSA softball team couldn't overcome the No. 4 seed and host school Wichita State, as WSU claimed a 13-0 victory in the Opening Round of the 2024 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship at Wilkins Field on Wednesday.
The Roadrunners (15-42) fell to the Shockers (26-21) as senior Jamie Gilbert (7-18) was pegged with the loss, and Alison Cooper (6-8) earned the win. Additionally, junior Jaylen Prichard and sophomore Lindsey Davis recorded hits on the afternoon for the squad.
UTSA threatened in the top of the first as Prichard walked and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. WSU, however, found a trio of outs to escape the inning unscathed.
In the home half, the Shockers struck with a walk and a solo home run, delivering a 2-0 advantage. The frame continued as back-to-back Roadrunner miscues put runners on the corners with no outs. A fly out was followed by a bunt single that plated one, and a hit batter loaded the bases. Gilbert managed to escape the jam, limiting the damage to three.
Looking to spark a two-out rally in the second, Davis dropped a bunt single before swiping second and moving to third on a wild pitch. Junior Camryn Robillard was walked, and redshirt freshman Kylie Forney plunked, putting ducks on the pond for UTSA, who could not capitalize as Cooper entered the game and worked a strikeout.
Similar to the first, a free pass and a long ball opened the bottom of the second for the Shockers, giving them a 5-0 lead. Three more runs followed, allowing WSU to carry an 8-0 edge into the third. The Shockers added four more in the subsequent stanza and one in the fourth to build a 13-0 cushion that carried them to a run-rule victory.
The loss concluded UTSA's season, with the program's 15 wins representing a seven-win improvement under first-year head coach Vann Stuedeman.
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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