Thursday, April 19, 2007
The breaks continue to fall in favor of Kansas’ opponents, leaving the softball team optimistic, but frustrated.
This time the breaks fell to rival Missouri (32-18, 8-1), as the Tigers beat the Jayhawks on Wednesday 1-0.
Kansas also lost the first game of the doubleheader 3-0.
KANSAN
Nicole Washburn, senior firstbase, tags a Missouri runner after a ground ball was hit up the firstbase line. Washburn had two hits during the second game against the Tigers but the Jayhawks couldn't pull away with a win. Kansas lost both games of the doubleheader against Missouri.
The Jayhawks’ (27-18-1, 3-8) recent struggles had been putting batters on base. The team fixed that problem with a combined nine hits in both games.
The new struggle is getting the runners across home plate.
“We were on the ball, we did some things offensively, but the biggest problem is we are not scoring runners when we get them in scoring position,” coach Tracy Bunge said.
Leaving six batters on base in each game was frustrating for Bunge, who said she believed the team deserved to win.
“Offensively, we are not getting the job done,” Bunge said.
Senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys, however, made sure the defense was getting its job done.
Humphreys threw a complete game, striking out seven Tiger batters in the second game.
“She was tremendous, the entire ball game, she was on,” Bunge said. “She had command, she located well, she did a great job for us.”
Humphreys found herself in trouble in the sixth inning with runners on second and third and two outs, but struck out the next batter, diffusing the situation.
The Jayhawks started the bottom of the sixth inning with a single by senior first baseman Nicole Washburn. Washburn was replaced by freshman pinch runner Ally Stanton, who advanced to second on a sacrifice hit by sophomore shortstop Stevie Crisosto. Kansas couldn’t come through and grounded and popped out, ending the threat.
pullquote
We are not coming through with clutch hits and if you can’t score, you put more pressure on the pitching staff.
- coach Tracy Bunge
“We are not coming through with clutch hits and if you can’t score, you put more pressure on the pitching staff,” Bunge said.
Although Kansas escaped the sixth inning threat by Missouri, the Tigers found themselves with the bases loaded with one out in the top of the seventh.
Humphreys threw a full-count pitch for a strike.
Misfortune hit the Jayhawks as Humphreys threw the ball past sophomore catcher Tiffany Craner, bringing in the winning run for the Tigers.
“You can’t put fault on anybody,” Humphreys said. “The factors you can’t control don’t seem to help us out at all.”
The last chance for the Jayhawks came with two outs as junior outfielder Betsy Wilson reached first on a throwing error. Wilson was tagged out as the Tiger’s defense was able to make the big play.
“There are a lot of things I like about the team,” Bunge said. “They have the heart. They’re taking this one very hard. They care a lot, they brought energy, they brought passion, they played hard today theres no doubt about that.”
Washburn said it’s the hardest the team has played in a long time.
“It feels good to take a step forward,” she said. “We just have to take another step.”
Kansan sportswriter Evan Kafarakis can be contacted at ekafarakis@kansan.com.
— Edited by Mark Vierthaler
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