Kansas beats Nebraska, falls to Tulsa
LAWRENCE, Kan. – On the second day of the Rock Chalk Challenge, Kansas beat Nebraska and fell to Tulsa at Arrocha Ballpark.
Brynn Minor pitched 8.2 innings, while Kansas accomplished a feat that it hadn’t been a part of since 2014.
Kansas 2, Nebraska 0
In a game that produced little offense, Kansas did not need the aid of its bats to plate the two runs, which resulted in a 2-0 shutout against Nebraska in the first of two games at Arrocha Ballpark on Saturday, March 16.
After a scoreless first inning by both teams and a scoreless top half by Nebraska, Kansas found the scoreboard thanks to two errors on one play by Nebraska.
Brittany Jackson put the ball in play and forced a throwing error at first, which allowed the speedster to continue on a throw to the plate. Cheyenne Hornbuckle rounded third and became caught in a run down, but was able to score after a throwing error by the Nebraska catcher.
Brynn Minor pitched the entire seven innings and tallied six strikeouts for her third win of the season.
The Jayhawks recorded their first win with zero RBI since March 1, 2018, when they beat Murray State in the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Tulsa 4, Kansas 0
In their second game of the day, Kansas (6-19) fell to Tulsa for the second time in as many days in the Rock Chalk Challenge.
The Jayhawks were unable to find their rhythm at the plate.
Brynn Minor and Shelby Hughston were the only two Jayhawks to earn hits, and Morgyn Wynne reached base after she was hit by a pitch.
Tarin Travieso earned her first start of the season and pitched three scoreless innings before allowing two Tulsa runs in the fourth.
Mandy Roberts relieved Travieso and allowed one run before Minor entered the game as the pitcher. Minor tallied 1.2 innings of relief in her second game of the day, while allowing only one earned run.
Minor was replaced with Hannah Todd in the final frame and finished with two strikeouts in her four batters faced.
NOTES
- Kansas earned its first victory with no RBI since March 1, 2018 when the Jayhawks defeated Murray State in the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn.
- Minor pitched seven innings for the seventh time this season after her outing against Nebraska.
- The 2-0 shutout against Nebraska is the second shutout of the season.
MCFALLS QUOTES
On the Nebraska win …
We got off to a great start this morning, and Brynn (Minor) did a great job in the circle. We competed, but we had to put the ball in play when we were given the opportunities to score runs. We put pressure on their defense, forced Nebraska to make plays and were able to capitalize on those mistakes. We had solid defense in game one and a solid pitching performance by Minor. We put it all together and that is what are working towards.
On the pitching staff and defense against Tulsa …
Today was the first day we were able to get a start out of Tarin (Travieso) and she did a great job, giving us four solid innings. We didn’t get a defensive stop when we were provided an opportunity in the fourth inning when Tulsa was able to push a run across. Tulsa is a good hitting team and they are going to capitalize on our mistakes.
Tarin did a tremendous job for us on the mound with four solid innings and we went to Brynn (Minor) trying to stay in the game. We have to score runs to stay in the game, and it is hard to play from behind. Hannah (Todd) came in the seventh inning and had two strikeouts in the inning, which was pretty significant for her. We are trying to build confidence with a few of our players and they earned opportunities today.
UP NEXT
Kansas concludes the Rock Chalk Challenge against Nebraska on Sunday, March 17 at 1:30 p.m. at Arrocha Ballpark.
FOLLOW
@KUSoftball
/KansasSoftball
@KUSoftball
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
