Kansas Falls to Texas Tech in Big 12 Softball Championship to Conclude Season
May 15, 2010
Kansas Falls to Texas Tech in Big 12 Softball Championship to Conclude Season –
Box Score in PDF Format 
Juniors Brittany Hile and Allie Clark each collected two hits but the Kansas softball team came up short on runs as the Jayhawks fell 5-3 to Texas Tech in the opening game of the Big 12 Championship.
After a rain-altered weekend in which KU’s Friday night game versus TTU was postponed until Saturday morning, Kansas ended its season at 21-35 overall. TTU, which improved to 36-15, advances on to play No. 2 seed Oklahoma later in the day.
Texas Tech used a big fifth inning to extend its lead to 5-0 and push out of reach of the Jayhawks. Kansas made a rally late in the game scoring three runs over the final two innings but it was too late.
“The game started out slow for us but the girls stayed focus and fought until the end and I’m really proud of them for that,” said coach Megan Smith, who finished her first season at the helm of the Jayhawk softball program. “Unfortunately for the seniors, we couldn’t get another win for them, but we fought hard.”
The Jayhawks scored their first two runs in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 5-2. Freshman Mariah Montgomery and Hile started the inning with back-to-back singles. One out later, Clark came up with a full-count single up the middle to score both runners on base.
In the seventh inning, Kansas cut its deficit to two when sophomore Marissa Ingle hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score freshman Maggie Hull. In the next play, Hile popped out to the second baseman to end the game with freshman Alex Jones stranded on second. KU stranded at least one runner in each of the last five innings, including bases loaded in the fifth.
Senior Sarah Vertelka suffered the loss from the pitcher’s circle after tossing the first inning for Kansas and allowing TTU’s first run. Clark came in to throw the last five innings of the game allowing five hits and four runs.
Texas Tech got its offense going early with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first inning. The next Red Raider batter walked to load the bases followed by another base on balls to walk in Texas Tech’s first run.
TTU collected four more runs on three hits in the fifth frame. The Red Raiders led off with a single and two walks. One out later, a double down the right field line scored two runners. The next batter hit an RBI single to Ramirez at second, but a bad throw to first base allowed the runner on third to score, unearned.
Kansas graduated five seniors from its 2010 squad in Alicia Irwin, Amanda Jobe, Sara Ramirez, Ally Stanton and Sarah Vertelka.
