Kansas Wins Nightcap In Extra Innings To Split At Nebraska

April 30, 2008

Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb. –

Three runs in the top of the eighth inning broke a three-all tie to give <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas a 6-3 victory over Nebraska in the nightcap Wednesday after dropping game one, 5-4. With the split, KU moves to 36-17 on the season and 6-10 in the Big 12. NU becomes 21-26 overall and 3-13 in conference play.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The Jayhawks return to action this weekend, May 3 and 4, when they host IowaState in their final regular-season contests. Sunday is also senior day for Kansas seniors Amy Farrow, Addy Lucero, Sara Sidebottom and Betsy Wilson. The four will be honored in a brief recognition ceremony at the conclusion of Sunday’s game.

Game 1 Box Score Get Acrobat Reader

Game 1: Kansas 4, Nebraska 5

After falling behind 2-1 at the end of five innings, the Jayhawks battled back to take a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. But the Nebraska offense turned hot in its next at-bat, rallying for three runs off five well-placed singles to take a 5-4 advantage.

Kansas, unable to find an answer in its final at-bat, was out-hit 11-6 in the loss.

Stevie Crisosto and Val Chapple each recorded two hits, while Chapple also drove in a run for the fourth consecutive game. Dougie McCaulley added a hit to extend her hit streak to six contests.

The Jayhawks struck first with a run in the opening frame on an RBI single from Chapple to plate Crisosto. The contest marked just the fifth loss for Kansas when scoring first in a game. They’ve won the 25 other contests in which they were first to score.

Nebraska tallied runs in the second and fifth innings but Kansas came back to tie and then take back the lead in the top of the sixth. The Jayhawks loaded the bases with a fielder’s choice and two infield singles. Freshman Liz Kocon next hit a sacrifice fly into left field to score Amanda Jobe. Fellow freshman Brittany Hile then gave KU its second lead of the game hitting a high fly ball into shallow right field that dropped in between the second baseman and right fielder, allowing Dougie McCaulley to cross home plate. Betsy Wilson helped give the Jayhawks a two-run cushion with smart base running. Wilson swung and missed for strike three but the ball got away from Nebraska’s catcher and Wilson took first on the dropped third strike. As the Cornhuskers focused on Wilson at first, Val Chapple was able to sneak home and score.

Junior Valerie George tossed all seven innings, her 14th complete game this season, to earn the loss as she dropped to 18-9 from the circle.

Game 2 Box Score Get Acrobat Reader
Game 2: Kansas 6, Nebraska 3 (8)

Nebraska’s Ashley Guile recorded her first career home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to send game two of Wednesday’s doubleheader into extra innings. With the score three-all in the top of the eighth, Brittany Hile scored as a result from an NU throwing error to break the tie, putting Kansas up 4-3. Before the inning was over, Ally Stanton would bring in another run with an RBI shot to right field and Sara Ramirez plated Addy Lucero with a single that dropped in front of NU’s center fielder to earn KU the final 6-3 victory.

Kansas again scored in its first at-bat plating two runs in the top of the first inning thanks in large part to two Nebraska errors. McCaulley reached base safely on a throwing error by NU’s third baseman and a Cornhusker fielding error in the very next play allowed Chapple to get to second base, simultaneously scoring Crisosto and McCaulley.

While errors were responsible for KU’s first two runs, the same is true for the Huskers’ run in the bottom of the first and again in the fourth. An Allie Clark throwing error eventually allowed the runner to score in the first inning and a dropped fly ball by Sara Ramirez in the fourth frame proved costly three batters later as the Cornhuskers tied the game, 2-2.

In the top of the sixth, Kansas was able to go up 3-2, its fourth lead of the day, with an RBI single to right field from Betsy Wilson that plated Chapple. After a scoreless inning from Nebraska in the bottom of the sixth, KU only need three outs to seal the victory but Guile’s round-tripper resulted in extra innings.

Freshman hurler Allie Clark had the longest outing of her career going all eight innings for the Jayhawks and allowing just one earned run as she improved to 8-3. She fanned three batters in the effort and gave up nine hits.