Big Fifth Inning Pushes Jayhawks Past Marshall, 7-3
Feb. 21, 2010
GAINESVILLE, Fla. –
Box Score in PDF Format 
Four Jayhawks recorded three hits as the Kansas softball team broke a three-all tie in the top of the fifth inning to defeat Marshall 7-3 in its last contest of the Lipton Invitational.
KU fell to Marshall earlier in the weekend but evened its record to 5-5 with Sunday’s victory versus the Thundering Herd. Marshall suffered its second loss of the season as it fell to 7-2 overall.
The Jayhawks combined for a season-high 14 hits while limiting Marshall to just four. Sophomore Marissa Ingle recorded her first career hits during the game going 3-for-3 from the plate, including a three-run home run and two doubles, to bring in two runs. Freshmen Mariah Montgomery, Alex Jones (two RBIs) and Maggie Hull also had three hits a piece.
Tied 3-3 after four innings, KU rallied for five hits in the fifth inning and batted through the order to score four runs. Clark reached first to start the frame after a dropped third strike by the Marshall catcher. Sophomore Kelsey Alsdorf entered for Clark as a pinch runner and scored three batters later on Montgomery’s single through the left side to push the Jayhawks ahead 4-3.
Ingle stepped into the batter’s box next and added three insurance runs when she smacked a pitch over the left field wall to score Montgomery and Jobe. Jobe arrived at first on a single to left field.
Senior pitcher Sarah Vertelka and KU’s defense retired nine straight Marshall batters in the last three innings to hold off the Herd. Vertelka entered the contest in the third inning for Jones and held Marshall to just three hits and one run over the final five innings as she improved to 2-2 from the circle.
The Jayhawks engineered its first run in the top of the second inning on a Jones single. Montgomery led off the frame with a double into left field and advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt laid by Ingle. One out later, Jones hit a deep grounder to second base and beat the throw to first while also plating Montgomery.
KU’s 1-0 lead did not last long as Marshall came back in the bottom of the inning with two runs and added one more tally in the third.
Kansas knotted the score at 3-3 in the fourth inning with an RBI double from Ingle and an RBI single from Jones.
Kansas returns to the softball diamond next weekend, Feb. 26-28, for the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Jayhawks will play Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga, Lipscomb and Austin Peay during the three-day tournament.
