🥎 Jayhawks Close Out Tournament Play at Rock Chalk Park

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas split the second day of the Rock Chalk Challenge on Sunday after defeating South Dakota 6-1 and then falling 3-2 to Tulsa. 

Kansas is now 10-15 on the season. The Jayhawks will play at Wichita State on Wednesday, before opening Big 12 Conference play Friday at home against Texas. 

Game 1 – Kansas 6, South Dakota 1

The Jayhawks completed the weekend sweep of the Coyotes as they took them down 6-1 after beating them on Saturday as well. 

Kasey Hamilton got the start for the Jayhawks in the circle. She opened up in the top of the first with two strikeouts. Both teams went scoreless through the first inning. 

Kansas took the lead in the bottom of the second. Savanna DesRochers and Shelby Gayre had back-to-back singles to put two runners on. In Cheyenne Hornbuckle’s at-bat, she singled and DesRochers came home to put the Jayhawks up 1-0. 

In the bottom of the third, Shayna Espy led off with a walk and Madison Hirsch followed with a single. Ashlyn Anderson then stepped up and hit her sixth home run of the year, which added three to the Kansas lead and moved the score to 4-0. 

Both teams went three up and three down in the fourth, but Kansas put one more on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Angela Price led off with a single and then stole second. Anderson walked in her at bat, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch during Lyric Moore’s at-bat. Moore walked to load the bases. Kaitlyn Gee then stepped up to the plate and flew out, but Price tagged up to make the score 5-0 in favor of the Jayhawks. 

South Dakota put one on the board in the top of the sixth. 

Kansas’ Peyton Renzi had an answer in the bottom of the sixth and hit a solo home run to center field. The bomb was her second one of the weekend, and second one of her career. 

Olivia Bruno came in to pitch the top of the seventh for the Jayhawks and shut the Coyotes down 1-2-3 to end the game. 

Kansas had seven players get a hit, including a three-run homer from Anderson and a solo bomb by Renzi. Hamilton earned the win, which moved her record to 5-7 this season. She also threw six strikeouts. 

Game 2 – Tulsa 3, Kansas 2

Kansas fell in its second game of the day against Tulsa with a final score of 3-2. 

Kansas gave up a two-run home run in the top of the first, which made for an uphill battle. Tulsa added one more in the top of the second. 

Kansas had an answer in the bottom of the third. Hirsch had a single to put a runner on for the Jayhawks, and Price followed with a double to put the Jayhawks on the board. Price advanced to third on an error. Anderson then stepped up to the plate and knocked a single into left field, which brought Price home and moved the score to 3-2 in favor of Tulsa. 

The game remained a pitchers battle for its remainder. Katie Brooks threw 5.1 innings, including two 1-2-3 in the third and sixth. The freshman also had five strikeouts to her credit and only gave up three hits. 

Up Next

The Jayhawks are back in action on Wednesday, March 23 as they head to Wichita to take on the Wichita State Shockers. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. CT.