Monday, February 23, 2009
After an 0-2 start to the Cathedral City Classic in California on Thursday, Kansas rebounded with victories over Brigham Young and No. 10 California, finishing the weekend with two victories and four losses. The victory against California was especially important to Kansas’ long-term goals. Allie Clark was solid at the plate, going 2-3 with 2 RBI, including the game-winning single in the eighth inning. On the other side of the ball, Valerie George delivered a masterful pitching performance, striking out 12 and notching her fifth win of the season.
The Jayhawk bats remained stagnant, as the team went 22 for 142 on the weekend, adding up to a dreadful .150 average.
But as a defense, Kansas had only four errors in six games, giving them 17 total in 15 games. The Jayhawks’ pitching staff had a combined ERA of 2.9 throughout the Cathedral City Classic.
In various points during the season, Kansas has shown that they possess a potent offense, a strong defense and stellar pitching. But they need to find a way to play well in all three facets throughout the entire game.
Kansas 3, Brigham Young 1
In its only game Friday, Kansas bounced back from two tough losses and recorded its first victory of the Cathedral City Classic in a 3-1 game against BYU. They Jayhawks won the game despite having not yet earned a single run in the tournament.
The Kansas defense finally seemed to hit its stride, committing no errors as it helped George strand 10 BYU hitters. In a complete game outing, George recorded five strikeouts, three walks and only one earned run, giving up a home run in the third inning to catcher Jessica Purcell.
UC Santa Barbara 4, Kansas 0
The Jayhawks fell to 1-3 for the tournament on Saturday, getting shutout by UC Santa Barbara 4-0. Stevie Crisosto was half of Kansas’ offense, going 2-2 with a walk. The Gauchos had four earned runs on 10 hits and played tight defense, committing no errors.
Clark, designated hitter, had a home run stolen from her in the top of the seventh as UCSB center fielder Tiffany Wright scaled the wall for the second out of the inning. Sarah Vertelka started the game for Kansas, pitching two scoreless innings, but was replaced in the third by freshman Sarah Blair, who was tagged with the loss.
Kansas 3, No. 10 California 2 (8 inn.)
Clark had a monumental game against Cal, going 2-3 with two RBI and one run including a game winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. After the game Clark commented on the first game-winning at bat of her college career.
“They put me in there swinging the bat well and I got a good pitch to hit,” Clark said.
George improved her record to 5-4, posting a career-high 12 strikeouts in the win Sunday. Kansas’ offense recorded three earned runs on four hits, the team’s first earned runs in the tournament. With the win the Jayhawks attained their third win against opponents ranked in the top 10.
Cal-Poly 3, Kansas 1
Kansas ended the Cathedral City Classic 2-4, losing its final game to Cal-Poly on Sunday afternoon. Shortstop Stevie Crisosto extended her hitting streak to five games, going 1-3 in the losing effort. Brittany Hile had the only RBI for the Jayhawks with her first home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Reflecting on the tournament, George focused on the positive.
“I think we’ve seen some good things from everybody,” George said. “We just need to find some consistency. We absolutely have the talent to compete for the Big 12 conference title.”
The Jayhawks resume play next weekend, traveling to Denton, Texas, for the North Texas Invitational.
— — Edited by Grant Treaster
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