Softball Takes #20/#23 Wichita State to the Brink, Falls in 11 Innings

WICHITA, Kansas – In the longest game in program history at three hours, 54 minutes, the University of Houston softball team gave #20/#23 Wichita State all it could handle in an 11-inning, 8-7 loss on Friday night at Wilkins Stadium.

Kenna Wilkey (13-9) tossed all 10.2 innings in the circle for Houston (18-20, 5-2), striking out 11 in her second-consecutive longest career outing. Alison Cooper (11-3) earned the win for the Shockers (35-7, 9-1) with seven innings of work.

Player Highlights

Kati Ray Brown: 2-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, SF
Emma Robertson: 2-3, R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
Ja'Naiya Thomas: 2-5, 2 R, BB

Game Highlights

With a pair of home runs in the game, Houston has hit at least one home run in each of its last seven games and has tallied nine multi-homer games this season.
Senior infielder Bree Cantu, sophomore catcher Emma Robertson, sophomore outfielder Ja'Naiya Thomas and senior catcher Kati Ray Brown all tallied multi-hit games in the contest, while Brown tallied her 18^th multi-RBI game of her career.
With a pair in the game, the Cougars have 17 sacrifice flies this season, one shy of tying its program season record that was set in 2006 and tied in 2012.
With 11 strikeouts in the game, graduate student pitcher Kenna Wilkey surpassed 250 as a Cougar (253) and now has 528 in her collegiate career.
The game was Houston's third this season that has eclipsed the three-hour mark.
The 11 innings of play is Houston's longest game since an 11 inning win over Lamar on April 11, 2018.
At three hours and 54 minutes long, the game surpassed a 3:45 long contest against DePaul in 2005 as the longest game in program history.

Key Innings
3^rd | After loading the bases with two singles and an error, a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Lauren Lucas narrowly stayed fair up the right field line to put the Shockers up 3-0. Three batters later, Lucas scored on a Camryn Compton single, and the Shockers added another run later in the inning to extend their lead to five.

4^th | Houston loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the inning, and Brown got the Cougars on the board with a sacrifice fly to center that drove home redshirt-sophomore utility LA Matthews. Sophomore infielder Brooke Lorenzo immediately followed it up with a single to plate another, cutting Houston's deficit to three.

5^th | Robertson kept Houston's bats hot, leading off the fifth with her seventh home run of the season. With a pair of singles and a walk, Houston loaded the bases again for Brown, who laced a single into center field and drove home a run to make the score 5-4. Thomas scored on a wild pitch in the next at-bat to tie the game at 5-all.

Wichita State would retake the lead in the bottom of the inning, however, as Compton hit her third homer of the season with a solo shot to left field.

10^th | After a sac-fly off the bat of senior infielder Britaney Shaw in the sixth inning forced extra innings, Houston took its first lead of the game as Brown hit her first homer of the season, and 27^th of her career, to put the Cougars up 7-6.

With runners on the corners and down to its last strike, Wichita State evened the score with an RBI double to force an 11^th inning.

11^th | After the Cougars threatened to retake the lead in the top of the inning with sophomore utility Turiya Coleman advancing all the way to third before the inning ended, Wichita State ultimately took the win in the bottom of the frame. With a pair of runners in scoring position, a sac-fly to deep left allowed the winning run to score, giving the Shockers a 8-7 win.

UP NEXT
The series continues tomorrow afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch between Houston and Wichita State. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The pair of teams close out the slate on Sunday at noon.

BUY TICKETS
Fans can purchase Houston Softball tickets by calling 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or by clicking here.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

JOIN the DIAMOND CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Softball program by joining the Diamond Club. To find out more information about the Diamond Club, click here or call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4684).

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarSB on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Softball. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarSB.

− UHCougars.com −

Upcoming Events

Recent Results