DES MOINES, IOWA - Drake
junior pitcher Brynne Dordel
(Chanhassen, Minn.) fanned 11, while allowing only two hits, but a second
inning solo home run lifted Wichita State to a 1-0 victory over the Bulldogs in
the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship on
Thursday (May 13) at Buel Field.
"We did an outstanding job pitching and playing defense,"
Drake head coach Rich Calvert
commented. "Brynne (Dordel) threw
a game we shouldn't have lost. Offensively, this has been what we have
struggled with the last part of the season, not being able to put the ball in
play, coming up with timely hits and not being able to execute."
In a game dominated by the pitching, both sides combined to register only five hits, with the Bulldogs collecting three.
Drake had a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first inning as
freshman Macie Silliman (Winterset,
Iowa) laced a one-out double to the gap in left center. After a strikeout, junior Erin Mollohan (Tinley Park, Ill.)
reached on a fielding error to place runners on the corners with two down. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Wichita
State hurler Kasha Kolb notched a strikeout to end the threat.
The Shockers plated the only run they needed in the top of the second
inning as Kara L'Hullier cracked a one-out solo home run over the wall in left
center to drive in the game-winner.
Drake created another scoring chance in the bottom of the fourth as
junior Jenna DeLong (Dalton Gardens,
Idaho) beat out a one-out liner off of Kolb's leg before sophomore Torey Craddock (Tucson, Ariz.) placed
two runners in scoring position with a double to right center.
The Bulldogs attempted a suicide squeeze on the first pitch but the bunt
popped up off of the Drake bat and into the glove of Wichita State third
baseman Hayley Temple. A groundout
ended the threat for the Bulldogs.
Wichita State allowed only a fifth-inning walk to senior Elena Leon (West Des Moines, Iowa) over
the final three frames.
Despite striking out 11 and issuing just one walk, Dordel suffered the
loss to conclude her campaign at 15-10, while Kolb improved her ledger to
16-18.
"This was the sharpest I've seen Byrnne in the last three
weeks," said Calvert. "It is just
a shame we wasted that type of performance to keep playing. I expected her to
come out and throw the way she did and that is why I started her."
The Bulldogs picked up one hit apiece in the contest from Silliman,
DeLong and Craddock.
Drake finishes its season at 32-22, while the Shockers advance to face
Creighton in the tournament quarterfinals at 22-30.
