🥎 Jayhawks Shock No. 23 Shockers in 5-2 Upset
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Following a complete-game performance in the circle from Kasey Hamilton and two RBIs from Morgyn Wynne and Ashlyn Anderson, Kansas softball upsets No. 23 Wichita State, 5-2, on Wednesday night at Arrocha Ballpark.
With tonight’s victory, the Jayhawks improve to 22-17 on the season as the Shockers fall to 32-6-1.
In the 7.0 innings Hamilton pitched, she struck out a career-high nine batters and only gave up one walk. She improves to 5-7 on the season.
The Jayhawks got runners on early in the bottom of the first with Brittany Jackson hitting a single and Macy Omli getting hit by a pitch to put two on with no outs. Morgyn Wynne advanced them into scoring position allowing Shelby Gayre to record a sac fly to score Jackson. Ashlyn Anderson continued the scoring action with an RBI single to score Omli and give KU a 2-0 lead.
Action continued for Kansas in the bottom of the third with Omli and Wynne getting on and quickly advancing to second and third on a throwing error by Wichita State. Ashlyn Anderson came up to the plate and was able to bring in Omli and move the Jayhawks up to a 3-0 lead.
The Jayhawks continued to work offensively in the bottom of the fourth. Haleigh Harper was hit by a pitch with two outs. In the next at-bat, Jackson hit a single and advanced to second as Harper advanced to third as the ball rolled to the outfield. Omli was walked to load the bases and Wynne followed with a single, driving in Harper and Jackson.
With a 5-0 lead, Hamilton started off the top of the fifth with a strikeout for the Jayhawks, her seventh of the night. Wichita State was able to put one on off a single, but in the next at-bat, they popped up and Hamilton was able to make a diving catch and secure the second out. The third out came when Shelby Gayre caught the Shocker runner out attempting to steal second.
In the top of the sixth, the Shockers attempted to close the gap with a two-run home run, but within three was the closest they would come.
The top of the seventh was a quick 1-2-3 inning. Hamilton picked up another pair of strikeouts and the final out of the game was a flyout to Peyton Renzi.
Quoting Jennifer McFalls
“Our main focus today was to come out more aggressive at the plate. We wanted to swing at pitches early in the count, hitting pitches that were strikes and this team did that. Brittany (Jackson) set the tone in the first inning with a first-swing base hit up the middle. From that point on, it became contagious amongst our offense. I’m proud of our mindset offensively. Defensively, it was a fantastic performance by Kasey (Hamilton) in the circle. She came out dealing from the first inning. Nine strikeouts with only one walk is huge for us. She is gaining more confidence every time she’s steps in the circle. I’m excited to see how she continues this momentum.”
Up Next
Kansas hits the road to travel to Austin, Texas for a three-game Big 12 series against No. 9 Texas. Action will begin for the Jayhawks on Friday, April 23 at 6 p.m. The series will continue on Saturday, April 24 at 4 p.m. before concluding on Sunday, April 25 at noon. All three games will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network. Links can be found on KU’s softball schedule page.
