Jayhawks Record 100th Conference Win with 6-2 Victory Over Cyclones Sunday

May 4, 2008

Final Stats

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas honored its four seniors in front of a crowd of 550 with its 100th Big 12 Conference win over the Iowa State Cyclones in Arrocha Ballpark Sunday. The Jayhawks topped the Cyclones 6-2 in their last Big 12 match-up before the Big 12 tournament, May 9-11, in Oklahoma City. The Jayhawks improved to 37-18 overall and 7-11 in Big 12 play, while the Cyclones closed out the regular season 28-28 overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play. Kansas’ 37 victories marks the most wins for the Jayhawks since 1997, head coach Tracy Bunge’s first season at Kansas, when KU recorded 38 wins.

<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas pitcher Val George recorded her third save of the season in the victory tossing the last two innings for starter Allie Clark, who improved to 9-3. Rachel Zabriskie took the loss for the Cyclones to finish the regular season 14-13.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

Kansas stranded a total of seven Cyclones on base in the first four innings, with four runners in scoring position, to hold off Iowa State in the second game of the two-game series. Freshman catcher Brittany Hile and junior Val Chapple led the way for the `Hawks with one homer each.

Hile swung the Jayhawks into action early, slamming a home run out of the park in the bottom of the second, her third of the season and her first in Big 12 play, while Chapple connected for a three-run homer at the bottom of the third to put the Jayhawks ahead 4-0. Chapple’s round-tripper was her ninth of the season, second in Big 12 play, and cracked the KU top-ten for single-season home runs.

Iowa State homered twice to jump within two of Kansas, but the KU defense held one runner in scoring position to close out the top of the sixth.

Chapple connected in the bottom of the sixth with a double to deep left field shortly before Dougie McCaulley drove in Chapple, giving Chapple her 39th run, cracking an additional single-season top-10 record for runs and putting Kansas ahead 5-2. Pinch hitter Liz Kocon then took a turn at the plate hitting her third double of the series to bring McCaully home and close out the sixth ahead 6-2.

The Jayhawks honored 2008 seniors Amy Farrow, Addy Lucero, Sara Sidebottom and Betsy Wilson following the victory with flowers and congratulations for their contributions to the Kansas softball program.

The Jayhawks will next be in action Friday, May 9 at 5 p.m., when they take on No. 10 seed Nebraska at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., in the first round of the 2008 Big 12 tournament.