Mills tosses no-hitter against Omaha
LAWRENCE, Kan. – A walk-off hit by Brittany Jackson secured a no-hitter by freshman Lexy Mills, while giving Kansas softball an 8-0 victory over Omaha at Arrocha Ballpark.
The victory marked back-to-back shutout wins, which is the first time Kansas has accomplished the feat since its four-game winning streak from March 17-21. The Jayhawks beat Saint Louis 3-0 (3/17/18), UMKC 3-0 (3/18/18) and Incarnate Word 5-0 (3/21/18).
Mills pitched six innings while amassing her second double-digit strikeout performance of the season, ending with 10 strikeouts and four walks.
The Jayhawks, who had not found their rhythm at the plate in the Rock Chalk Challenge just days before, unleashed fury on the Omaha pitching staff.
In the first inning, Madison Sykes homered to left center for the first run of the game and her third home run of the season.
Kansas added another run in the second on a Shelby Hughston single and one in the third when Miranda Rodriguez singled to right field, plating Morgyn Wynne from third.
Wynne then added to an already successful two days behind the plate by hitting her third home run of the season in the fifth inning.
With a 4-0 lead heading into the sixth, Kansas had its sixth four-run inning of the season to claim its eighth victory of the season.
Back-to-back doubles by Sam Dellinger and Jennifer Marwitz tallied the first KU run of the sixth inning.
After Kansas advanced runners to second and third, Tarin Travieso laced a single up the middle for her first hit of the season, which added another run to the Jayhawk total.
An Omaha pitching change with runners on first and third didn’t prove effective as a wild pitch advanced Emily Bermel, who reentered for Travieso, to advance to second.
With runners on second and third with still no outs, Jackson hit a double to left field, which plated Bermel and Hughston, and concluded the Jayhawks first walk-off victory of the season.
NOTES
- Kansas secured its first two-game winning streak since wins over Northern Colorado (3/17/18) and Saint Louis (3/17/18). The Jayhawks completed a four-game winning streak that started against Northern Colorado (3/17/18) and ended against Incarnate Word (3/21/18).
- The Jayhawks tallied their first no-hitter since March 20, 2016 against St. Louis, 9-0. Andie Formby pitched six innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
QUOTES
Associate Head Coach Rich Wieligman on today’s performance …
An overall team effort today. Our defense was solid and had timely hits when we needed to. Our pitching performance was outstanding and helped keep the Omaha bats quiet. There is nothing this team could have done better today to earn the victory, and I am proud of their performance.
Lexy Mills on her no-hit performance …
It was a really good game for me. I am very happy with my performance and happy for my teammates in today’s victory. We haven’t put up nine hits in a while and that helped me perform in the circle, and I think my performance in the circle helped them at the plate. Overall, it was a great team effort and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
UP NEXT
Kansas travels to Wichita, Kansas to play Wichita State for a one game on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 p.m.
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