HOUSTON – The Kansas softball team earned its seventh-straight conference win and the sweep over Houston at Cougar Softball Stadium Sunday.
Kasey Hamilton threw her 13th complete game as she earned her ninth win of the season. She allowed just one run on four hits, along with five strikeouts. Ashlyn Anderson made the play of the day. With bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Anderson fielded a grounder at third as she tagged third and threw it to first for the game-ending double play.
Kansas improved to 22-8-1 and 7-2 in Big 12 play, earning back-to-back Big 12 conference sweeps for the first time since 2005. Houston fell to 19-12 (2-7 Big 12).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jayhawks had a chance to get on the board in the second. Campbell Bagshaw opened the frame with a single up the middle, followed by a nicely placed sacrifice bunt by Anderson and a single by Sara Roszak to left to put runners on the corners. KU was unable to capitalize with runners in scoring positionand left two runners stranded.
- Houston loaded the bases in the bottom of the second to get its first runs across. Hamilton opened the frame with a strikeout, but the Cougars responded with two singles and a walk. A grounder hit at Roszak did not give her enough time, as she took the force out at first that allowed Houston to take a 1-0 lead. Hamilton left two Cougars stranded with a strikeout to put an end to the scoring.
- Kansas took its first lead of the game in the third. Aynslee Linduff opened the inning with a double, followed by a Lyric Moore single. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, and Hailey Cripe knocked a RBI single through the left side. With runners on the corners, Cripe stole second and Houston tried to catch her stealing. This prompted Moore at third to steal home, which gave Kansas the 2-1 lead in the third.
- The Cougars had their best chance to tie up the ballgame in the bottom of the sixth. After Hamilton forced a popup for the first out, Houston hit a double to the left center gap to put a runner in scoring position. A groundout advanced the runner to third and a walk put runners on the corners. With two outs, Hamilton got the grounder she needed as Cripe chose the force out at second to prevent Houston from scoring.
- Houston threatened the Kansas lead again in the last inning of the game. After the first batter earned a walk, the Cougars hit a blooper single to center to put runners on first and second with one out. Houston drew another walk and loaded the bases. Kansas got out of the jam thanks to Anderson, who fielded a hard hit groundball, tagged third and completed the double play after throwing it to first to give Kansas the 2-1 victory.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Kasey Hamilton (9-5)
Final line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 SO
Loss: Paris Lehman (5-4)
Final line: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Hamilton threw her 13th complete game this season as she improved to 9-5 on the season. She allowed just one run all game with four hits as she struck out five. She also recorded three assists as a fielder in the circle.
QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
“That was tough, Sundays are hard. I love our fight but it wasn’t pretty at times. I thought we got a little defensive at the plate with some of our swings, but most importantly we found a way to win. We played great defense today and our defense got us out of a really big jam there at the end. Just proud of this team. We have to stay consistent and keep working every day to get better.”– Head Coach Jennifer McFalls
“I felt good. We came out today hoping for another sweep. Trusting my defense today was the biggest thing and they came up with some huge plays, especially Ashlyn there at the end. It was a good day” – Kasey Hamilton
- Kansas earned back-to-back Big 12 conference sweeps for the first time since 2005 (Oklahoma and Texas Tech)
- The Jayhawks have now won 19 of their last 22 contests.
- KU increased its conference winning streak to seven.
- Kansas’ seven conference wins are the most since 2016, when the squad had eight.
- The Jayhawks improved to 10-4 in one-run games this season.
- Hamilton threw her 13th complete game of the season.
UP NEXT
Kanas will take the short trip to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on the Kansas City Roos in a midweek game at the Urban Youth Academy on Tuesday, March 26. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. CT and the action will be broadcast on Midco Sports Plus.
