Kansas Drops Shortened Series Finale at No. 18/16 Texas A&M, 9-0
May 6, 2012
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In their last meeting as members of the Big 12 Conference, Texas A&M used a well-balanced attack from the plate and the circle to defeat the Kansas softball team, 9-0, in five innings, Sunday morning at the Aggie Softball Complex.
No. 18/16 Texas A&M (36-16, 16-8) looked the part of a nationally-ranked opponent in the series finale. After Kansas (31-20, 6-17) played the home team to a one-run game the day before, the Aggies broke out nine runs and tossed a collective no-hitter between junior ace Mel Dumezich (26-11) and senior Lindsey Sisk.
The Jayhawks finished the regular season with a 31-20 overall record and a 6-17 mark in the Big 12, the most since the 2009 season. Additionally, junior left fielder Maggie Hull’s .409 batting average in the regular season broke the Jayhawks’ all-time record in a single season. With postseason play still pending, she passed Jill Larson’s record of .400 in the 1979 season. There are Big 12 teams in action next week, but as of Sunday, Hull also finishes KU’s conference season as the league’s batting average leader.
KU was never able to find its rhythm as the Aggies came out hot from pitch one. In the first inning, Dumezich collected a pair of strikeouts to send her lineup to the plate. A runner left early call negated a leadoff single, but the Aggies answered that with another single and a one-out walk. For the second time on the weekend, right fielder Cassie Tsyarczyk put the Aggies on the board first with a home run.
Her three-run homer put the Aggies ahead, 3-0, and finished freshman Alicia Pille’s (17-12) short outing. She recorded just one out, tying her shortest start of the year (at Oklahoma, 3/30) and was charged with the loss.
Sophomore Kristin Martinez finished the first inning and threw the second. She allowed four runs, only two of which were earned as KU recorded two errors – the Jayhawks’ first miscues after an otherwise solid defensive series. Senior Ashley Spencer was called in to pitch the final two innings, surredering two runs while striking out one.
Aside from Tysarczyk, Dumezich also connected on a home run, her third of the series, to help lead the potent Aggie offense. Senior second baseman Natalie Villarreal went 2-for-2 with two runs scored on the team’s Senior Day.
After Dumezich exited, sophomore centerfielder Elsa Moyer drew a walk off of Sisk to lead off the fourth inning. An error lengthened the inning as the Jayhawks worked on a rally, but a strikeout ended the inning and KU’s only threat. KU went down in order in the top of the fifth to clinch the Aggie win in their final meeting.
UP NEXT
Kansas will now await its postseason fate as next weekend will serve as the Jayhawks’ `bye’ week from conference play and no games are scheduled. The 2012 NCAA Division I Softball Championship Selection Show will air at 9 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 13 on ESPNU.
