March 24, 2007

Kansas Rallies to Defeat OSU, 4-3, In Thriller

March 24, 2007

STILLWATER, Okla. –

<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>

Kansas (22-9-1, 1-0 Big 12) defeated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (20-18, 0-1) 4-3 in nine innings Saturday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium. Back-to-back home runs with two outs in the seventh inning pushed the ballgame into extra innings when KU used one more solo home run to grab the lead for good in the ninth inning.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

Kansas jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sophomore and lead-off batter Dougie McCaulley reached first on a dropped third strike. McCaulley crossed home plate on three consecutive fielder’s choice hits. McCaulley’s run was the 21^st time this year that KU has scored first. KU is now 19-2 when scoring before its opponents.

After Kansas left two runners on base in the top half of the fifth inning, OklahomaState converted three base hits up the middle into two runs. The first OSU run came off a Samantha Heinlein hit that dropped just in front of McCaulley in center field to score Emily Blackburn. The second Cowgirl run scored when Courtney Totte walked, scoring Jenna Harmison.

Oklahoma State scored once more in the sixth inning when Krystle Sanchez’s fly ball to left field cleared the wall for a solo home run to give the Cowgirls a 3-1 advantage.

Kansas had a two-out seventh inning rally when McCaulley and senior Nicole Washburn hit solo home runs to left field to knot the score at 3-3. It was McCaulley’s first home run as a Jayhawk and Washburn’s third this season.

The final run of the game looked like a replay of the previous two Jayhawk scores–a hard hit fly ball to left center that cleared the fence. This time it was freshman Sara Ramirez that provided the Jayhawk power. It was Ramirez’s third home run of the season, and her first since Feb. 17 against Memphis. The three Jayhawk home runs are tied for the most home runs in a game this season, the other game being the March 2 victory over Tulsa.

Senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys (12-3) threw nine complete innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Humphreys struck out 12 batters, making her only four shy of passing KU head coach Tracy Bunge for fourth place on KU’s all-time strikeout list.

Kansas will play the second of the two-game series against OklahomaState Sunday at 1 p.m.

-KU-