Madison Perrigan’s 2 home runs spur Wichita State softball to NCAA win over Texas A&M
Behind two home runs from the program’s all-time career leader in long balls, Madison Perrigan, the Wichita State softball team defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 9-7 in its opening game of the NCAA Regionals in Norman on Friday night.
The Shockers (40-11-1) reached the 40-win plateau for just the second time in program history and advanced to the winner’s bracket, where the American Athletic Conference double champions were to play either No. 1 seed Oklahoma (45-2) or No. 4 seed Morgan State (24-15) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
After Friday’s win, WSU fully expected to meet OU Saturday afternoon.
“We just got to go in fearless like we’ve talked about all year,” Perrigan said. “We had on our Ted Lasso shirts on and we know anything can happen when you believe. They are an outstanding team, but so are we and we proved that coming out here and getting the first win.”
“We’ve got the biggest challenges of our lives and my career (Saturday),” WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner added.
Friday’s win over Texas A&M was just the fourth postseason win in program history. The Shockers also won their opening game in the 2018 Regionals in Fayetteville, where they ultimately lost in the championship game to Arkansas.
Perrigan gave WSU a quick start on Friday when she turned on the first pitch she saw and lifted it over the left-field fence for a two-run shot. The Shockers extended their lead to 4-1 in the second inning when Addison Barnard walked with the bases loaded and Neleigh Herring brought another run home when she was hit by a pitch.
“(Perrigan) is just clutch,” Bredbenner said. “She gets up there and just takes hacks.”
The Aggies rallied to cut the deficit to 4-3 on a two-run home run from Bre Warren in the third inning. They also challenged again in the fourth inning when they had runners on second and third base with one out, but WSU starter Bailey Lange was able to escape the jam without any damage.
It was the bottom of WSU’s lineup that ignited the rally that put the game away for the Shockers, which scored five runs — all with two outs — in the bottom of the fifth inning to balloon their lead to 9-3.
The rally began when No. 8 hitter Kaylee Huecker and No. 9 hitter Bailey Urban delivered back-to-back singles, which set up AAC Player of the Year Sydney McKinney for a RBI double. Barnard kept the rally going with a 2-RBI single down the right-field line.
“Huge hits from Kaylee and Bailey,” Bredbenner said. “That was exactly what we were looking for with a good two-out rally, just getting up there and trying to make things happen by putting the ball in play.”
Perrigan finished the rally with her second homer of the game, as she once again turned on an inside pitch and launched the ball over the left-field fence.
“I changed my approach and I knew I had to be aggressive every pitch,” Perrigan said. “I was able to stick with the plan and it was the best feeling ever knowing it worked out for the team.”
But Texas A&M was able to rally thanks in part by mistakes from WSU’s pitchers, as Lange and reliever Caitlin Bingham combined for four walks and four hit batters.
“We had too many freebies and against good teams that’s going to haunt you,” Bredbenner said. “My biggest fear was that was going to haunt us. If you give a really good swinging team eight freebies, then you’re going to give up some runs.”
Those freebies nearly ignited an improbable comeback for Texas A&M, which plated three runs in the top of the seventh inning to trim WSU’s lead to 9-7. The Aggies even had the tying runner at second base with one out.
But Bingham was able to coax the final two outs without giving up another run to close out the win in nerve-wracking fashion.
“I wanted to vomit, let’s be honest,” Bredbenner said, laughing. “I was nervous in the sixth and seventh innings, but I’m feeling a lot better now.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 7:42 PM.
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