Kansas Stays Flawless in the Fall, Beats Baker 7-1

Oct. 6, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Seven unanswered runs powered the University of Kansas softball team past the Baker University Wildcats to push the Jayhawks to 4-0 on the fall season, Thursday night at Arrocha Ballpark.

Four Jayhawk pitchers saw time in the circle, surrendering just one unearned run between them while striking out 11. Senior pitcher Ashley Spencer made the start, tossing two innings and striking out three. Freshman Alicia Pille led the Jayhawk hurlers with four strikeouts in her two innings of work.

“I think we started the game a little flat,” head coach Megan Smith said. “Our energy level was good, but our execution was a little off. We picked that up and adjusted really well.”

Kansas allowed its first run of the season in the top of the third, as the Jayhawks fell behind 1-0. The deficit was short lived as the Jayhawks busted out a four-spot in the bottom half of the inning. Junior left fielder Maggie Hull and freshman Chanin Naudin doubled and redshirt senior Liz Kocon crushed a two-run bomb to centerfield to highlight the inning.

“That’s one of the good things about our team,” Smith said. “We get runners on, getting good reads as base runners to advance and move runners around. That’s one of the bright spots about the fall, it’s not just homeruns. We’re getting base hits, doubles, sac flies and we like to see that.”

The Jayhawk offense tacked on three more when freshman first baseman Maddie Stein connected on a two-run single in the following inning.

With the 7-1 lead securely in hand, sophomore Kristin Martinez, Pille and freshman Emily Stokes locked up the Wildcat offense as Baker collected just one hit in the final three innings.

UP NEXT
Kansas will wrap up the fall with the Jayhawk Invitational on Oct. 16. Labette Community College and Seminole State will round out the fall slate.