After throwing 44 pitches in the first inning alone, it seemed like it would be a long day for Kansas sophomore pitcher Valerie George.

Behind George (9-3) the Kansas defense struggled early while the offense was nearly non-existent in the Jayhawks 3-0 loss to visiting Nebraska.

“Nebraska did a great job of really battling her offensively,” coach Tracy Bunge said.

In the first inning George found herself in a hole with the bases loaded and one out giving up a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in a runner and leave one on first and one on third.

A double steal caught the Jayhawk defense off guard as sophomore catcher Elle Pottorf committed a throwing error to try and catch the runner.

“They put the ball in play and defensively we couldn’t shut that down,” Bunge said.

Already down 2-0, the stalling Jayhawk offense couldn’t secure a hit until the fourth inning.

The bats for the Jayhawks have gone cold in their five-game homestand, which concerns coach Bunge, but she gives the credit to opposing pitching.

“We’ve struggled against Ashley,” Bunge said of Nebraska senior pitcher Ashley DeBuhr, who pitched a complete game two-hitter against Kansas. “She has come a long way and I give that kid a lot of credit.”

DeBuhr faced 22 Jayhawk batters and struck out 12.

After giving up another run in the second inning, George started to get in her zone allowing two hits the rest of the game.

“I thought Valerie George did a solid job out there,” Bunge said.

George pitched a complete game giving up five hits and striking out four.

George said she tries to start the game aggressively but she just didn’t have her stuff the first two innings.

“I felt really good the rest of the game. I don’t know what changed, maybe confidence, just knowing I can throw my stuff,” George said.

The Jayhawks went 1-4 in their longest home stand in a month putting them at a 26-13-1 record and 2-3 in the Big 12.

When the game ended, the Jayhawks took to left field to listen to what Bunge had to say to them, but had to wait as Bunge had a long conference with her coaching staff on the third base line.

“As a coaching staff we’re trying to figure out what the right switches are,” Bunge said.

The team was in the same position last season hitting a bit of a bumpy road before winning eight in a row and the Big 12 Championship.

“We really need to pull together and not get upset,” senior first basemen Nicole Washburn said. “We had the same thing happen last year.”

Fatigue could be a factor for this Jayhawk squad who have played seven games in the past seven days.

“It’s a long season, it’s a long grind. We’re hitting a little bit of a lull and it’s about where we hit it last year too so hopefully we’ll step back into things,” Bunge said.

The Jayhawks have two days of rest before heading out to Austin, Texas to play two games in two days against the Longhorns.

Kansan sportswriter Evan Kafarakis can be contacted at ekafarakis@kansan.com.

—Edited by Lisa Tilson