Rangers vs. Cardinals: Kansas Opens Fall World Series

Oct. 25, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After wrapping up its fall exhibition schedule, the University of Kansas softball team is capitalizing on its remaining fall practice days by holding an intrasquad World Series.

The Jayhawks are split into two teams to face each other in the series and are fittingly named the Rangers and the Cardinals. On Monday, the Rangers took the series opener with a 4-3 victory.

An RBI single off the bat of freshman first baseman Maddie Stein drove in fellow rookie Cassen Salamone to put the Cardinals on the board in the top of the first. With junior transfer Morgan Druhan in the circle, the Cards tacked on two more in the top of the third using RBI singles from Salamone and junior shortstop Mariah Montgomery. Both put up multi-hit performances in the win.

Looking up at a 3-0 deficit, the Rangers kicked it into gear with a four-run fifth inning. The Rangers put on the rally caps with two down in the bottom half of the inning. With one runner aboard, the Rangers caught fire to cut the Cardinal lead to one. Freshman catcher Lexi Bryant’s two-run double pushed across the go-ahead run to cap off the rally.

Armed with the late lead, freshman Alicia Pille won the game in relief of sophomore starter Kristin Martinez. Pille threw the last four shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out four. Druhan took the loss for the Cardinals.

Game two is slated for Tuesday at 3 p.m.