Wednesday, April 15, 2009
As the grounds crew swept off the infield on Tuesday, the Kansas softball team was all smiles. After the Jayhawks did some sweeping of their own against UMKC, there wasn’t much else to do.
“It felt really good to go out and win two,” junior pitcher Sarah Vertelka said.
Having split their last four series, the Jayhawks (16-23) took care of business at home with 8-0 and 7-2 victories over the Kangaroos (14-29). The two victories were solid all-around efforts from Kansas, who came out swinging hot bats against UMKC.
Senior outfielder Dougie McCaulley had a stellar day, notching four hits with one RBI while scoring five runs from her leadoff spot.
“That’s my job as a lead-off hitter, to get things going. We just wanted to come out and take advantage of their pitchers,” McCaulley said, referencing UMKC’s less-than-stellar 4.19 team ERA.
The Jayhawks did just that. In game one, the Jayhawks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, capitalizing on a UMKC error. Kansas then exploded for five more runs in the fifth, earning the run-rule when junior first baseman Amanda Jobe blasted a two run homerun. Sophomore outfielder Allie Clark also had a big game, smashing a pair of two RBI doubles, giving her the team lead for RBI (22).
“They were throwing pitches right over the plate,” Clark said. “I just waited for one I liked and swung hard.”
The onslaught carried over to game two, where the Jayhawks piled up 10 hits. In addition to the hit parade, the Jayhawks swiped three bags and whirled around the bases all game, as ball after ball seemed to find a patch of outfield grass.
“Our game plan was to run the bases on their outfielders,” coach Tracy Bunge said. “We wanted to force the issue and be very aggressive taking bases.”
Hitting aside, Kansas got excellent pitching on Tuesday, highlighted by eight strong innings from Vertelka. The junior hurler pitched in both games, striking out 11 Kangaroo batters while only allowing two hits.
“Sarah pitched very well for us,” Bunge said. “For a good as she was in the first game, she was even sharper in the second one.”
Freshman Sarah Blair also saw time in the circle, making only her second start of the season. She notched her first win in the second game, where she pitched four innings, allowing two runs while fanning two.
“Blair was solid today,” Bunge said. “She’s continuing to adapt to playing at the collegiate level; it was real good to get her some innings.”
With the lopsided scores, Blair wasn’t the only Kansas reserve to get on the field in game two, as players such as junior outfielders Ally Stanton and Alicia Irwin also saw action. Irwin even notched her first RBI of the season, a double to the right-field gap in the sixth inning.
“It’s always nice to get those girls some playing time,” Bunge said. “They put in so much time and hard work for us; they really deserve it.”
With the two victories, Kansas has won three games in a row and four of its last five. The team will look to keep the ball rolling when they head to Austin to take on No. 20 Texas this weekend.
“We’re confident,” McCaulley said. “We’ve got some momentum, and we’re looking for a sweep down in Texas.”
— — Edited by Chris Horn
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