Eastern Illinois Shuts Down Kansas, 2-0

Ashley Newman had Kansas’ only extra base hit of the game and finished 1-for-3 from the plate.
Eastern Illinois 2, Kansas 0
JSU Softball Field // Jackson, Miss.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
EIU 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 0
KU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0

Box Score (.pdf)

Batting Leaders
Kansas AB R H RBI BB HR
A. Newman 3 0 1 0 0 0
K. Kennedy 1 0 1 0 0 0
E. Illinois
B. Owens 3 1 2 3 0 1
J. Isaac 3 1 1 0 0 0
Pitching
Kansas IP H R ER BB SO
K. Kessler (L, 3-3) 7.0 5 2 2 1 6
E. Illinois
S. Maday 7.0 5 0 0 0 3

JACKSON, Miss. – Kansas freshman Lily Berhmann sent a shot to the leftfield corner with two Jayhawks on base in the bottom of the seventh, but Eastern Illinois leftfielder Jennette Isaac snagged the ball against the fence to hand KU a 2-0 loss in the first game on the second day of the Jackson State Softball Tournament, Saturday.
 
The Jayhawks (6-5) scattered five hits in the game and had a runner on second base at three different times, but were never able to advance any further. KU finished with six runners left on base and Eastern Illinois improved to 8-4.
 
“Offensively, we just didn’t stick to our game plan,” head coach Megan Smith said. “We went up and wasted a lot of at bats, by not making good choices and good decisions. You just can’t do that against a team with a good pitching staff.”
 
KU pitcher Kelsey Kessler and EIU hurler Stephanie Maday went toe-to-toe with each other, as both teams were scoreless through five innings.  In the top of the sixth inning, the Panthers’ Isaac led off the inning with a single to centerfield.  After an out, Brooke Owens smacked a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right center for the game’s only runs and her third home run of the season.
 
“(EIU) has a great offensive team and I thought Kelsey did a good job throughout the game, just one of their better hitters got a good hit on a good pitch,” Smith said. “That is going to happen in our game, we just didn’t get any runs to help Kelsey and that’s what we are frustrated about.”
 
Kessler dropped to 3-3 on the season, after pitching seven innings of five-hit ball. She allowed two runs without a walk and struck out six.
 
Maday made the two-run Eastern Illinois lead stand up by not allowing a Jayhawk hit in the bottom of the sixth and weathering the Kansas’ rally effort in the seventh.  After a pair of infield groundouts, Chanin Naudin singled and Kylee Kennedy followed suit with a pinch-hit single to center. Behrmann hit the towering 2-1 pitch to the left corner for the final out.
 
Kansas will play its second game of the day at 5:15 p.m., against host Jackson State.
 
Ashley Newman had the only extra-base hit for the Jayhawks with a leadoff double in the fourth, but she was unable to advance.
 
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