Clark's Two-Hitter Leads KU Softball to 8-3 Win At UNC-Greensboro

Feb. 25, 2011

GREENSBORO, N.C. –

Kansas 8, UNCG 3 Box Score Get Acrobat Reader

Senior Allie Clark pitched a complete game allowing just two hits while senior Brittany Hile hit two runs as Kansas softball defeated UNC-Greensboro 8-3 Friday evening in its second game of the Spartan Classic.

KU bounced back from its earlier loss to Minnesota to improve to 11-1 on the season. UNCG dropped to 6-6 overall.

Clark struck out a season-high six batters and gave up three runs, only one of which was earned, as she improved to 6-1 from the circle.

Hile recorded multiple home runs for the second time this season collecting five RBIs on two round-trippers versus the Spartans. Junior Marissa Ingle drove in KU’s other three runs on two hits. Junior Liz Kocon and freshman Ashley Newman each had two hits as well to contribute to the Jayhawks’ 12 total hits.

Greensboro scored first taking advantage of two KU throwing errors in the bottom of the third inning to plate two unearned runs.

Kansas quickly responded though in its next at-bat as Ingle and Hile broke up UNCG’s no-hitter with back-to-back home runs to left field. Ingle’s round-tripper drove in Newman while Hile’s single shot gave KU a 3-2 lead.

Ingle and Hile came through for the Jayhawks again in the fifth inning as both hit RBI singles to expand KU’s lead to 5-2.

The Spartans added one more run to the scoreboard in the sixth on a bases-loaded force-out but Kansas escaped the potentially dangerous situation as Clark struck out a batter and forced a pop fly for out number three to quickly end the threat.

Hile’s three-run homer off the top of the left-field fence in the top of the seventh inning gave KU its final score of 8-3. She now has seven home runs in the last six games.

KU will continue play in the Spartan Classic Saturday. The Jayhawks will face MooreheadState at 10 a.m. CST. They will then a play a second game Saturday at either 2:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. (Central) depending on seeding.

Kansas 4, Minnesota 5 Box Score Get Acrobat Reader

Despite putting the go-ahead run on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning, the University of Kansas softball team could not come up with a timely hit as it suffered its first setback of the season, 5-4, to Minnesota Friday afternoon in its first game of the UNCG Spartan Classic.

KU fell to 10-1 with the loss, while Minnesota improved to 5-6 overall.

The Jayhawks out-hit the Golden Gophers 8-7 but could not find a way to drive runners home as KU stranded 14 base runners during the game.

Trailing 5-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, junior Marissa Ingle reached base on an error to lead off the final frame and then advanced on a single down the left field line by senior Brittany Hile. Both runners moved over a bag following a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Rosie Hull but Minnesota forced KU into a groundout and then struck out sophomore Mariah Montgomery to end the game.

Hile and freshman Laura Vickers led Kansas with two hits apiece, while junior Liz Kocon recorded her fifth home run of the season in the first inning to score KU’s first two runs. Kocon later batted in her third run in the fourth inning.

Minnesota scored its first three runs on home runs including a solo homer in their first at bat to take a brief lead but Kocon’s round-tripper in the bottom of the inning put KU ahead 2-1.

The Jayhawks did their only other scoring in the fourth inning. Montgomery’s dropped fly ball in right field scored Ingle from third. With the bases still loaded, Kocon grounded out to first base to plate Hile and give Kansas a 4-1 advantage.

Unfortunately Minnesota scored two more runs in the top of the fifth inning on another home run to bring the score within one at 4-3. In the top of the seventh, the Golden Gophers took over the lead when a bases-loaded grounder to freshman shortstop Ashley Newman took a nasty bounce and drove in a run. A groundout to Montgomery at second base in the next at-bat allowed the go-ahead run to score for Minnesota.

Sophomore pitcher Alex Jones tossed the first six innings for KU striking out four batters and giving up three runs on five hits. Senior Allie Clark entered the game in the final inning in relief but allowed the final two Minnesota runs to suffer the loss as she dropped to 5-1 from the circle.