🥎 Jayhawks Battle, Fall Late to No. 8 Texas in Series Finale

AUSTIN, Texas – The Kansas softball team (20-19, 2-7 Big 12) fell 3-2 to No. 8 Texas (36-9, 8-4 Big 12) Sunday as the Longhorns scored in the bottom of the seventh inning after being knotted up at 2-2 all game.

Both teams scored two in the fourth and stayed tied until the seventh. Junior left hander Kasey Hamilton had her second quality start in the circle this weekend. Hamilton threw 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits with four walks, while striking out three batters.

“We’re right there,” said Head Coach Jennifer McFalls. “We’ve gotta win the close ones now, if we’re going to continue to move in the right direction. We have to keep battling and get ready to go face Mizzou and another big opponent against Texas Tech next weekend.”

Kansas got on the board in the fourth with back-to-back RBIs from junior catcher Lyric Moore and senior third baseman Ashlyn Anderson. After senior center fielder Shayna Espy drew a walk to open the inning, she found her way to third following two groundouts. With two outs, Moore singled up the middle, scoring Kansas’ first run. Anderson followed that up with a stand up double as Moore raced from first to home, extending the lead to 2-0.

Texas responded in the bottom-half of the fourth, tying the game at two runs apiece. Hamilton struck out the first two batters of the frame, then walked the next two, putting a runner in scoring position. UT doubled to left-center, scoring their first run and followed that up with an RBI single to tie the game.

Freshman reliever Lizzy Ludwig relieved Hamilton in the fourth. She threw 3.0 innings, only allowing three hits, one walk and one run. The one run, however, was the difference and Ludwig took the decision, falling to 2-5 on the season.

The game remain tied at 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh. With a runner on second, Texas singled through the left side, bringing home the game-winning run just ahead of KU’s throw to the plate.

NOTES

  • Kansas played in its ninth-straight game against a NFCA top-25 opponent, a streak that began at No. 21 Baylor, March 31st (W, 2-1).
  • On Friday, KU got its first win against Texas since April 30th, 2016.
  • The win on Friday also gave Kansas their first top-10 road win versus a conference opponent since April 24th, 2022 (#4 Nebraska).

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks head east Wednesday, April 19, to take on longtime rival Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network on ESPN+.