Jayhawks beat Nebraska, 1-0
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Morgyn Wynne made her first start as catcher and provided Kansas with the game-winning hit in the sixth inning against Nebraska in a 1-0 victory at Arrocha Ballpark. KU finished the Rock Chalk Challenge 2-2, with two victories over Nebraska.
Brynn Minor again was handed the opportunity inside the circle for the Jayhawks and pitched the entire seven innings with a season-high seven strikeouts and zero walks. Minor’s zero walk performance is the first time in seven innings the senior from Wichita, Kansas has accomplished the feat.
After five scoreless innings at the plate, Kansas (7-19) finally found success against the Nebraska defense and pitching staff.
Emily Bermel led off the inning with a single to left field and Brittany Jackson followed with a single of her own.
With two runners on and no outs, the Jayhawks hit into a double play, which advanced Bermel to third.
Wynne hit a RBI double down the right field line and plated Bermel for the lone run of the day.
NOTES
- Minor secured her fourth win of the season and matched her win total from 2018.
- Minor tallied a season-high seven strikeouts against Nebraska, while allowing zero walks. It is the first time Minor has pitched seven innings and allowed zero walks.
- Wynne hit her first RBI since Feb. 9 against Arizona State.
- The shutout is the second of the Rock Chalk Challenge and third of the season.
MCFALLS’ QUOTES
On the win over Nebraska …
A gutsy performance by Brynn Minor today. I knew she was sore, tired and didn’t have a lot left in the tank, but every inning she kept hanging in there. Brynn had a few quick innings, which allowed her to stay in the game. I was afraid she was going to come out heading into the seventh, and I told her to give me one more if she had it in here, and she did. It was purely about mental toughness and I am really proud of her and our team today. We fought through a lot of stuff in this game. Becki (Monaghan) and Brynn hit the ball really well, but didn’t catch any breaks. We are still learning how to win, compete at the plate, on defense and in the circle.
Morgyn Wynne’s performance …
She is a very unselfish kid and when we lost Shelby Gayre, she volunteered right away to get behind the plate. She has been working at it in the last two weeks and had the opportunity today to put her in the lineup. It was a good move for us, because we were missing Sydnee Ramsey because of illness. When I told her she was catching, she was ecstatic about the opportunity. I thought she did a fantastic job and got more and more comfortable as the game went on. She got a big hit for us early in the game and got the important game-winning hit for us in the sixth inning. She is going to keep getting better the more she plays and gets more confidence.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts Omaha for one game on Monday, March 18 at 5:30 p.m. at Arrocha Ballpark.
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