Jayhawks Power Past Saint Mary’s with Clutch Hits and Lockdown Defense

Friday, February 14

Long Beach. Calif.

9 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

2-4

Saint Mary's (Calif.)

1-5

Kansas

Saint Mary's

Jayhawks Power Past Saint Mary’s with Clutch Hits and Lockdown Defense

2/15/2025 1:21:00 AM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Long Beach Calif. – In the first game of the Wilson Invitational at the LBSU Softball Complex in Long Beach, California, the Jayhawks faced Saint Mary's (Calif.), recording 10 hits and playing solid defense behind senior pitcher Katie Brooks, who earned her first pitching win of the season.

"We were frustrated last weekend after coming so close in multiple games but missing key hits," head coach Jennifer McFalls said. "The team worked hard this week to focus on timely hitting, and I was proud of the quality at-bats tonight. We're getting runners on but still leaving too many stranded. The good news is we're stringing together solid hits—we just need to capitalize on opportunities. I was especially proud of KB (Katie Brooks) and Olivia Bruno, who did a great job in the circle and will be a key part of our pitching staff moving forward."

The Jayhawks struck first in a bases-loaded, two-out situation as freshman outfielder Ava Wallace battled through a long at-bat, working a full count before drawing a walk to bring Presley Limbaugh across the plate. SMC would answer back with a run of their own tying the game 1-1 before heading to the top of the second.

Although Saint Mary's responded with a run, Kansas quickly answered with three of their own. Senior Olivia Bruno battled at the plate and drew a walk, allowing Emma Tatum to cross home. Hailey Cripe then delivered a hard-hit ball to shortstop, bringing in two more runs and extending the Jayhawks' lead to 4-1.

Kansas' defense remained solid, holding SMC scoreless with three shutout innings, including back-to-back three-up, three-down frames, keeping them off the bases heading into the sixth.The Jayhawks found one more run from a Linduff RBI bringing across Limbaugh.

Saint Mary's (Calif.) cut into Kansas' lead in the bottom of the sixth, making it a 5-3 game entering the seventh. However, the Jayhawks stayed composed, locking in defensively during SMC's final at-bat. A groundout to first secured the final out, sealing a 5-3 victory and Kansas' second win of the season.

Pitchers of Record

Win: Katie Brooks

Final Line: IP: 6.0, H: 5, R: 3, BB: 1, SO: 0

Save: Olivia Bruno

Final Line: IP: 1, H: 1, R: 0, BB: 0, SO: 1

Loss: Avery Wolverton

Final Line: IP: 1.1, H: 2, R: 3, BB: 3, SO, 0

UP NEXT
Kansas returns to action tomorrow night at the LBSU Softball Complex in Long Beach, Calif., with first pitch set for 9 p.m. CT. Fans can stay updated throughout the game by following the official softball X (Twitter) account or via the live stats link here.