Kansas falls to Sacramento State
March 20, 2007
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Kansas (21-9-1) fell to the Sacramento State Hornets (7-18) 7-4 Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento, Calif. Kansas attempted a seventh inning comeback, but fell one big hit short. With the loss, the Jayhawks went 4-2 in their March West-Coast road trip and fell to 1-3 all-time against Sacramento State.
KU built an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when sophomore Dougie McCaulley reached on an error by the Hornet second baseman. Two batters later, sophomore Stevie Crisosto stepped to the plate and ripped a shot to right-center brining McCaulley home. Crisosto’s hit ensured that her hitting streak would reach nine games.
Sophomore Erika Simington’s second-career home run in the second inning gave the Jayhawks a 2-0 advantage. The homer to deep center was Simington’s second home run in her last three at-bats.
Following a second-inning score by Sacramento State, KU scored again in the third inning. Crisosto’s second double of the game put her in scoring position for senior Kassie Humphreys. Humphreys’ liner through the left side scored Crisosto for the 3-1 lead.
Beginning in the third inning the Sacramento State bats came alive as they scored once in the third, and hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning to grab a 5-3 lead. The scoring continued in the fifth inning for the Hornets as they tacked on two more runs to gain a four run advantage.
Following a brief rain delay, KU loaded the bases in the seventh inning but could only manage one run.Kansas used three pitchers in the game, starting sophomore Valerie George. Freshman Sarah Vertelka (4-4) pitched in the third and fourth innings, while Humphreys finished the ballgame.
Kansas will next be in action on Saturday, March 24 at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. for the Big 12 Conference opener. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
