Kansas Softball Splits Doubleheader Against Omaha

Thursday, March 13

Lawrence, Kan.

4:00 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

12-10

Omaha

19-4

OMAHA

Kansas

Kansas Softball Splits Doubleheader Against Omaha

3/13/2025 9:25:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Season Stats Box Score (PDF)Highlights Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas softball split its doubleheader against Omaha, dropping the first game 2-1 before bouncing back with a 7-4 victory in the second. Senior Olivia Bruno had a standout performance, tying her career high with eight strikeouts in the opener and blasting her fifth home run of the season in the nightcap.

With the split, the Jayhawks improved to 13-10 on the season.

"I really loved our response in game two. We were not going to go away tonight, and we finally got some back-to-back, timely hits. We got a spark from our bench, and it was a total team effort," said head coach Jennifer McFalls. "K-Wash (Kaelee Washington) gave us some solid innings, and even after they put four runs on the board, we never fell out of it. Diggs came in and shut the door, she was exceptional in the circle and so consistent. That kind of fight and execution is exactly what we need as we head into more conference games."

GAME ONE
Olivia Bruno started in the circle for Kansas and delivered a strong outing. She struck out two batters in the first inning and followed with a dominant second frame, striking out the side.

Omaha broke through in the third inning with a two-run RBI single to take a 2-0 lead. Bruno notched two more strikeouts in the inning, but the Jayhawks were unable to respond offensively despite getting two runners on base in the bottom half.

Kansas finally got on the board in the fifth inning when junior Presley Limbaugh tripled and then scored on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Bruno continued to deal, reaching eight strikeouts in the seventh inning to tie her career high. However, the Jayhawks couldn't capitalize offensively in the final frame, falling 2-1.

Pitchers of Record
Win: Maddia, Groff (10-2)
Line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO
Loss: Olivia Bruno (2-1)
Line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO

GAME TWO
Freshman Kaelee Washington got the start for Kansas and set the tone early with back-to-back strikeouts in the first inning. The Jayhawks took advantage of this momentum, as Bruno delivered an RBI single to bring home Limbaugh, giving Kansas an early 1-0 lead.

Omaha responded in the third inning with a four-run outburst to take a 4-1 lead. The Jayhawks made a pitching change in the fourth, bringing in freshman Kennedy Diggs.

Kansas stormed back in the bottom of the fourth with an offensive explosion. Junior Hailey Cripe started the rally with a double down the left-field line, followed by an RBI double from sophomore September Flanagan and an RBI single from freshman Bailey Amezcua to pull within one. Pinch runner Madi Hays then scored the game-tying run before junior Aynslee Linduff put Kansas ahead with an RBI double. Bruno capped off the six-run inning with a two-run homer, giving Kansas a 7-4 lead heading into the fifth.

Diggs shut down Omaha the rest of the way, securing the victory for the Jayhawks.

Pitchers of Record
Win: Kennedy Diggs (3-1)
Line: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO
Loss: Alexis Wiggins (12-8)
Line: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 1 SO

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks travel to Salt Lake City for a three-game conference series against Utah, scheduled for March 21-23.

Notables:

Kansas recorded 10 hits in the second game, including six doubles.
Olivia Bruno tied her career high with eight strikeouts and pitched her first complete game of the season.
Bruno hit her fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning of Game 2, finishing with a team-high three RBIs.
Presley Limbaugh led the team with three hits, including two doubles and two runs scored.
Kennedy Diggs threw four shutout innings, allowing no hits and striking out four.

Gallery: (3-13-2025) Softball vs. Omaha