SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Kansas Jayhawks picked up a pair of wins Saturday at the Texas State Tournament, topping UTSA in their first game and Colorado State in the second game.
Kansas improved to 3-1 through two days in tournament play and now sit at 9-5 on the season.
The Jayhawks will close out play in Texas on Sunday against Texas Southern in Austin at noon.
Game 1: Kansas 3, UTSA 2
Trailing 2-0, the Jayhawks scored two in the fifth and then won it on a Presley Limbaugh walk-off single that scored Emma Tatum in the bottom of the seventh.
Kansas fell behind in the top of the first inning when Texas State connected for a two-home run off of starter Katie Brooks. That was all the Roadrunners would get off Brooks the rest of the game, however. Brooks twirled five scoreless innings after the first and ended up going six innings, allowing four hits and two runs, while striking out six. Addison Purvis pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win for the Jayhawks and improve to 2-0 on the season.
The Jayhawks trailed 2-0 until the fifth when Shayna Espy singled and advanced to second on an error, which scored Aynslee Linduff to cut the deficit to one. The next batter, Limbaugh, brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly to center.
Brooks then threw up a zero in the sixth and Purvis followed in the seventh, setting up the walk-off win for Kansas.
Espy and Linduff both finished with two hits in the win, while Limbaugh was 1-for-2 with two RBIs, a walk and a sacrifice fly.
Game 2: Kansas 6, Colorado State 3
For the second straight game, Kansas fell behind early with Colorado State plating a run in the second inning to go up 1-0.
The Jayhawks wasted no time getting even, however, scoring in the top of the third courtesy of an RBI single from Espy that scored Tatum.
The game would stay knotted up at one until the Jayhawks scored three in the fifth. After Haleigh Harper was was walked, Espy would reach first on a throwing error by the catcher. Limbaugh continued her hot streak of hitting, hitting a one-run double to left-center scoring Harper. With bases loaded, Bruno hit a two-run single to left, scoring Limbaugh and Espy and giving Kansas a three-run lead.
The Rams would answer, scoring one run in the bottom half of the fifth, thanks to a solo-home run.
Colorado State would decrease Kansas’ lead to two in the sixth, scoring from third on a wild pitch.
In the top of the seventh, Savanna DesRochers would hit a two-run home run to left, giving the Jayhawks two insurance runs.
Kasey Hamilton threw five innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out three batters. Lizzy Ludwig came in for relief in the sixth, earning the save.
Espy finished the contest with two hits and an RBI, while Limbaugh recorded an RBI off of one hit.
“I think today was really important for our team,” said Head Coach Jennifer McFalls. “We won both games because of our chemistry and team effort. We did a really good job of handling our composure and fighting today. I am really proud of us finding a way to get two W’s, even on a day where we weren’t great offensively.”
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks travel to Austin to take on Texas Southern at Red & Charline McCombs Field, Sunday at noon.
