Kansas falls at Texas, 5-2
AUSTIN, Texas — Kansas softball lost game two of a three-game series against Texas, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at Red & Charline McCombs Field.
The Jayhawks (23-9, 0-2 Big 12), led by the efforts senior starting pitcher Sarah Miller (6-4), stranded a total of 12 Texas runners on base to keep KU’s offense within striking distance all afternoon. Miller completed her 11th start of the season after 5.0 innings with two strikeouts and seven walks.
Senior Annie Mehringer hit a two-RBI double and senior Erin McGinley recorded her eighth multi-hit game of the season to account for two of KU’s three hits on the day.
Texas (15-13, 2-0 Big 12) clinches the Big 12-opening series as winners of 10 of the last 11 games against Kansas.
The Longhorns got on the board first inning, scoring two runs — one unearned. But Kansas bounced back to tie the contest in the top of the second.
Shelby Gayre and Jessie Roane led off the second inning with back-to-back walks. After Madison Sykes was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, Mehringer took advantage of the bases-loaded situation with a double down the left field line to drive in Gayre and Roane, tying the game, 2-2.
The two-RBI double marked Mehringer’s first double of the season.
Texas added one run in the bottom of the second to regain the lead. After UT leadoff hitter Janae Jefferson was called safe on a close stolen base attempt, Kansas head coach Megan Smith was ejected. Jefferson would end up scoring on a two-out RBI single by MK Tedder.
After a productive top of the second inning, KU’s bats proved to be chilled for the remainder of the contest as Texas allowed just one base runner — a bunted single by McGinely — in the final five innings.
Miller kept pace in the circle, tossing two-straight shutout innings in the third and fourth innings to keep the Longhorns in check.
In the bottom of the fifth inning with a runner on third base, UT called for bunt squeeze executed by Malory Schattle to score a pinch-running Tuesday DerMargosian from third. UT added another RBI single in the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead.
Junior pitcher Brynn Minor threw the bottom of the sixth inning for the Jayhawks in her second-straight relief appearance. Minor’s shutout inning of relief included three stranded UT runners on base.
With three-straight losses, it is the first three-game losing streak of the season for Kansas.
UP NEXT
Kansas and Texas continue its three-game series on Sunday at 11 a.m. from McCombs Field.
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