March 28, 2007

Jayhawks Shut Out Bears In Doubleheader Sweep

March 28, 2007

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. –

Kansas used three home runs and solid pitching to sweep a non-conference doubleheader with Missouri State, 4-0 and 3-0, Wednesday night at the Missouri State Softball Field. With the pair of victories over the Bears (13-19), the Jayhawks (25-9-1) extended their win streak to four and wrapped up a 10-game road swing.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

KU will begin a five-game home stand Saturday when it hosts Big 12 Conference foe No. 12/16 Baylor. Game time Saturday is set for 2 p.m. with the series ending Sunday at noon.

Game One – KU 4, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>MissouriState 0 Box score

In the first game, KU jumped on the board with three runs on three hits. Sophomore Dougie McCaulley led off with a double and sophomore Stevie Crisosto followed with a two-bagger of her own down the left line, her team-leading seventh of the year, for the RBI. Sophomore Elle Pottorf took a pitch over the center field wall for her team-high seventh home run and 31^st RBI of the year.

Freshman Ally Stanton notched her first career home run down the left line in the top of the fifth to give KU a 4-0 lead, which it held for the remainder of the game. Crisosto went 2-for-3 in the contest to lead the KU offense.

Sophomore Valerie George (8-2) earned her eighth-straight win in the circle for the Jayhawks, striking out nine and allowing just three hits in the complete-game shutout. MissouriState’s Meagan Ramsey (4-6) fanned six Jayhawks and allowed seven hits in seven innings to take the loss.

Game Two – KU 3, MissouriState 0 Box score

Freshman Amanda Jobe’s two-run homer in the top of the second gave KU an early 2-0 advantage. Pottorf started the inning with a walk and Jobe knocked out her third home run of the season to left.

With two outs in the top of the third, senior Nicole Washburn walked and Crisosto doubled off the right line fence (eighth double of the year) to pick up her 14^th RBI of the season and extend her hitting streak to 13 games.

Jobe paced the Jayhawk batters with two hits in the victory. Freshman Sarah Vertelka (5-4) threw a one-hitter, striking out two and walking one for the complete-game victory. The Bears’ Melissa Porshe (9-11) struck out 13 Jayhawks, walked two and gave up four hits to take the loss.

KU was solid defensively once again, remaining errorless for the third straight game. The Jayhawks are also 21-2 this season when scoring first.

-KU-