Indiana State ends WSU’s season at MVC softball tournament

Some occurrences in sports defy explanation. Every explanation but one, anyway.

After Indiana State ended Wichita State’s softball season with a 5-1 win in the second round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Thursday at Wilkins Stadium, both coaches mentioned luck as a decisive factor.

Indiana State hit a home run despite finishing last in the Valley in that category this season with 20. Starter Yvette Alvarez, who entered with a 5.57 ERA, shut down the Shockers and pitched into the sixth inning as the No. 8-seed Sycamores won for the second time on Thursday in an upset of No. 4-seed WSU.

“You’ve got to be good but you also have to be lucky,” Indiana State coach Shane Bourman said. “There were a couple double plays, and one big one that I can remember that got us out of an inning. They hit balls at us that, early in the year, you don’t get those balls hit at you.”

The Shockers (34-23) hit what looked like a two-run home run in the sixth inning but came away with one run when Cacy Williams, who hit the ball, passed McKenzie Adams on the bases.

Adams scored, but Williams was out after her hit was reduced to a single. It wouldn’t have made a significant dent in the deficit, as Adams’ run made it 5-1, but it was an encapsulation of WSU’s day.

The Shockers’ other three hardest-hit balls also ended in outs. Williams lined out with two runners on to end the first, and Brittany Fortner missed at least one RBI on her line out in the third.

An inning later, Melanie Jaegers’ liner was caught by Alvarez, who doubled Liz Broyles off first base.

“Softball games in the postseason are all about luck,” WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “You make your own luck. Bottom line is, Indiana State was able to put the ball in the holes. I thought we got up there with some pretty good at-bats early, and it seemed to get us down when we couldn’t catch that break.”

WSU got its leadoff batter on base five times but only scored after a walk to start the bottom of the sixth. Indiana State was more efficient, scoring in each of the three innings it began with a baserunner.

The Sycamores scored without a hit in the second, and went ahead 3-0 on Brooke Riemenschneid’s two-run homer in the third. An inning later, Rylee Holland drove in a pair with a single to left field.

Riemschneid’s homer was Indiana State’s only extra-base hit. The Sycamores bothered WSU with bunts and high-chopping infield hits.

“They find holes, they put the ball on the ground, they’re fast and they make things happen,” Bredbenner said. “The outs that we had today were pretty easy outs outside of Cacy and Britt’s line drives.”

WSU lost its first postseason game for the third straight year, including last year when it fell as the Valley’s No. 1 seed. The Shockers allowed Alvarez to control the game after a difficult first inning when she walked two.

After that, Alvarez allowed two hits until the sixth inning and retired WSU on five pitches in the fourth.

“We know we’re good,” Bredbenner said. “We were picked No. 1 in the conference. Unfortunately, we don’t know how to play like the No. 1 team yet. It’s going to come in time. I thought today we pressed a little bit. We’ve got to learn to play loose. I thought we were very, very, very well-prepared for that game. We just need to focus a little more on the mental game next year. That’s what killed us today.”

This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Indiana State ends WSU’s season at MVC softball tournament."