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“We didn’t have our best showing of how well we can hit,” said Lyndsey Minnich. “Cumulatively, we are not hitting as well as a team as we usually do.”
In the first game of the tournament, the team started out strong in the first four innings. Trailing 4-0 in the top of the third inning, the Wildcats hit three consecutive home runs. Symbree Minniear, Minnich and Janel Cunnigham each sent one soaring over the fence.
In the bottom of the fifth, WSU allowed seven runs to cross the plate, and University of New Mexico took a commanding 13-5 lead.
Minnich hit a solo home run in the third inning to become WSU’s career home-run leader. Minnich also tied the single-season home run record of 10. Minnich was the only Wildcat to record multiple hits, finishing 2-3. Senior captain Erika Dixon stole her 11th base this season.
On Saturday the Wildcats split the day, winning the first game and losing the second game. In the first game, Clark earned her eighth win this season on the mound. The first batter Clark faced hit a home run. She then held the University of Texas-San Antonio scoreless the rest of the game with six strikeouts. WSU won 2-1.
In the second game Saturday against Boise State University, freshman pitcher Morgan Allaband kept a shutout until the sixth inning where two Broncos hit back-to-back solo home runs to end the game with a score of 2-1.
On Sunday the team couldn’t catch a break as it lost to both UNM and BSU again. During the second go round against UNM, the Wildcats fell 12-1 in six quick innings. WSU was tied at ones until the fifth inning. After that UNM accumulated six hits and capitalized on two WSU errors. They finished the game with 7-2 score.
“Defense wasn’t our best,” Clark said. “We played well enough to stay in games, but when we got behind, we would fall apart and let them get the jump on us.”
BSU got an early lead in the second and final game, 5-0 in the second inning. Falling behind 7-0 after four innings, WSU lost 7-2.
“At the beginning of the season, we were so excited to get out there and play,” Minnich said. “Right now we are in the mid-season slam where we have had a break that made us tense up a little bit. We want to go out and be loose and confident and just have fun with the next few games.”
WSU plays Thursday against University of Nevada-Reno in a double header at 2 and 4 p.m. at the Wildcat Softball Complex. WSU also starts conference play this weekend.
“We haven’t had a lot of home games this year,” Minnich said. “We are excited to play for our fans and the use this home game to get our jitters out before conference play.”
