Softball Falls to Tulsa 3-2 in Final Day of Arizona Classic

Feb. 6, 2005

Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. –

Despite a three-hit rally in the bottom of the seventh, the University of Kansas fell short against Tulsa, 3-2, Sunday in its final game of the Arizona Pepsi Classic.

Kansas put the first run on the board in the bottom of the first. Freshman Jackie Vasquez, who went 3-for-4 on the day, led off with an infield single. Fellow freshman Cyndi Duran advanced her to second on a sacrifice bunt and with two outs, junior Serena Settlemier singled down the right line to score Duran.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

Tulsa answered in the top of the second with three runs off one hit. After a lead-off walk and two straight fielder’s choices, the Golden Hurricane scored on a single to left field. The next batter walked to score another run and was followed by a sacrifice fly, giving Tulsa a 3-1 lead.

The Jayhawks began a rally in the bottom of the seventh as junior Nettie Fierros led off with a double off the right center wall. (Fierros finished the day 3-for-3 with two doubles.) Sophomore pitcher Kassie Humphreys then came up to pinch hit for freshman catcher Elle Pottorf, and moved Fierros to third with a base hit.

Junior Ashley Goodrich came in to pinch run for Humphreys and was moved to second after a sacrifice bunt by junior Ashley Frazer. Vasquez then singled to shortstop to score Fierros and move Goodrich to third.

Duran reached on a fielder’s choice (squeeze bunt) and Vasquez advanced to third. As Goodrich came in to score, the umpire called her out after the pitcher appeared to tag her out while the catcher also in front of the plate.

Down 3-2, junior Destiny Frankenstein walked, and with two outs and two on base, Settlemier, also the Jayhawk starting pitcher, grounded out.

Settlemier (1-2) struck out four, walked three and allowed just two hits in 5.1 innings of work. Freshman reliever Christina Ross struck out the side in the seventh innings and walked one in 1.2 innings.

KU totaled nine hits and the day and left eight on base.

The Jayhawks (1-4) will next compete in the Hilton Classic Friday through Sunday in Las Cruces, N.M. KU will face Arkansas and Purdue at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (CST), respectively, on Friday.

-KU-