🥎 Kansas Wins Both on Day Two of Jayhawk Invitational
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Jayhawks recorded 17 runs on 18 hits in two games to win both contests on day two of the Jayhawk Invitational at Arrocha Ballpark.
Kansas (15-8) came out on top against South Dakota State (4-18) in the first matchup before taking down North Dakota State (5-14) in the afternoon contest.
The Jayhawks were led by sophomore Ashlyn Anderson who finished with two home runs and four RBIs on the day. Kansas was also helped by junior Morgan Wynne who finished with four RBIs on three hits and scored two runs.
Game One vs. South Dakota – Won 8-2
The scoring got started early in the second inning when Anderson hit one deep to center field for a solo home run.
Later in the second inning, the Jayhawks added another run to the board when a double by Jordan Richards drove in Cheyenne Hornbuckle to make the score 2-0.
The Jackrabbits added a run in the third but were quickly upstaged by a four-run, fourth inning from the Jayhawks. Redshirt junior Sydnee Ramsey contributed three RBIs with a base-clearing double before being driven in by senior Brittany Jackson to extend KU’s lead to 6-1.
South Dakota added another run in the fifth inning before giving up two to the Jayhawks in the bottom of the sixth that saw both Jackson and Anderson adding RBIs to their daily totals and close the door on any type of comeback from the Coyotes.
Freshman Savanna DesRochers earned the win, going five innings and only giving up two hits and two earned runs, moving her record to 2-1 on the season. Senior Hannah Todd was awarded the save after going two innings giving up one hit and no runs.
Moment of the Game
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Ramsey doubled to bring three runners home. In this game, Ramsey went 2-for-4 and ended with three RBIs and a run scored. The Jayhawks ended up hitting a .300 overall in the game with 10 hits, eight RBIs and eight runs.
Stat of the Game
Anderson went 3-for-4 and was responsible for four of the Jayhawks’ eight runs with two RBIs and two runs scored. Her offensive performance propelled Kansas into the lead and Kansas never looked back.
 Game 2 vs. NDSU – Won 9-5
North Dakota State jumped out to an early lead after scoring one in the top of the first.
Kansas bounced back scoring five runs in the bottom of the first with a three-run double from Wynne. Anderson followed with a two-run home run to give KU a 5-1 lead after one.
The Jayhawks continued to drop the hammer by scoring another in the bottom of the second after loading the bases with two outs and Tarin Travieso drew a walk to bring home Jackson and push KU’s lead to 6-1.
The Bison responded in the top of third by hitting a two-run home cut down the Jayhawks lead in half, 6-3.
Kansas struck again in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings scoring a single run in each. The run in the fourth came off a solo homer by Wynne. In the fifth, Haleigh Harper drew a leadoff walk and stole second. She advanced around to third on an error by the catcher and scored off a wild pitch. In the sixth, Anderson reached on an error and was eventually brought home off a double into center by freshman Lyric Moore.
NDSU scored two runs in the top of the seventh before Kansas could close out the game with the final score, 9-5.
Tatum Goff pitched her sixth-complete game this season to improve to 6-1.
Moment of the Game
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Wynne drove in all three runners with a double, giving Kansas the lead 3-1. This kickstarted KU’s offensive power, as later in the inning Anderson would hit a two-run home-run, extending the Jayhawks’ lead to 5-1. This put NDSU in a big hole early that the Bison couldn’t dig out of.
Stat of the Game
Kansas’ defense stayed strong following its offensive plays. Kansas turned two-double plays during this game.
Up Next
Kansas will conclude action at the Jayhawk Invitational on Sunday, March 21 at 12:30 p.m. against South Dakota.
