Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Kansas
Jayhawks Take Double Dip From Tech
March 29, 2008 | Softball
March 29, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas was not a very generous host to Texas Tech softball as the Jayhawks (27-8, 2-2) swept a double header 1-0 and 12-7 amidst cold and windy conditions Saturday afternoon.
The contests marked another tough matchup for Tech (9-27, 1-4) as KU is knocking at the door of the Top 25 and ranking towards the top of the always-tough Big 12 Conference.
Game one belonged to the pitchers as Jayhawk ace Valerie George and Tech's Ashly Jacobs engaged in an old-fashioned pitcher's duel. George scattered just three Tech hits in the shutout, while Jacobs scattered five with an unearned run.
Kansas sneaked in the one and only run, of the unearned variety, in the top of the first when Stevie Crisosto came across. Jacobs responded from there and kept the Jayhawks quiet the rest of the way, but that one run proved to be the difference.
George was tough on Tech almost the entire way. The Red Raiders put runners in scoring position in several innings only to see Kansas stiffen up and halt any rallies. Tech looked to tie it up in the fourth when Jennifer Corkin doubled and Jenny Krause, who came in to pinch run for Corkin, moved to third on a wild pitch. George rebounded and retired the next three hitters quickly to end the threat.
Corkin challenged the Jayhawks again in the sixth when she hit her second double of the game with one out. Once again KU settled in and got the next two hitters. Tech was unable to muster the offense it needed off George in the seventh as the Jayhawks took the game.
Despite the good pitching performance, Jacobs (3-9) took the loss in the circle. Corkin finished 2-3 with the two doubles, and Leah Legler added a single in two trips to the plate to pace the Red Raiders. George struck out seven Tech hitters in the shutout win for KU.
Game two was almost a polar opposite of the first one as the two teams erupted for a combined 20 hits. Tech pounded out eight, while the Jayhawks had 12 themselves. Five different pitchers saw action in the game for the two squads.
The Red Raiders landed the first blow of the contest in the top of the first when Leah Legler came in on a Megan Shupp groundout after opening the game with an infield single. KU took advantage of early Tech pitching problems in the bottom of the inning and put three runs across without a hit. The Jayhawks scored another run in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from Dougie McCaulley and then added three more in the third on a Valerie Wilson home run to make it 7-1.
Tech was not out of it yet, though. The Red Raiders roared back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Lauren Preston singled up the middle to score Shupp for the first run of the inning. Devin Zaragoza followed two batters later with a single up the middle to bring in bring in Robyn Wike, who had been hit by a pitch earlier. Patin followed with a two-run single. Tech looked to make it even bigger as it had the bases loaded with a hot-hitting Shupp at the plate, but the Jayhawks managed to get the last out and end the inning.
Wilson haunted Tech again in the bottom of the fourth when she had a two-run single with two outs to make it 9-5. After a quiet fifth, the Red Raiders chipped away again with two runs in the top of the sixth. Patin did the damage again with a two run single that plated Legler and Zaragoza before she was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Corkin followed with a hit by pitch to potentially make things interesting, but the next hitter lined into a double play to end it. KU led 9-7.
The Jayhawks made sure Tech would have to work to come back as they put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. KU's defense stiffened up in the seventh and the Red Raiders were not able to get the runs they needed as the Jayhawks took the 12-7 decision.
Patin finished 3-4 with four RBI to lead Tech, while Zaragoza was 2-3 with an RBI. Shupp and Preston each had a hit and an RBI. Tye Coats (4-11) took the loss in the circle. The Jayhawks were led by Wilson, who finished 4-4 with six RBI. Sarah Vertelka came on in relief to get the win for KU.
Tech will be back in action next weekend when it hosts No. 18/19 Baylor in a pair of afternoon games Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's game is set to get under way at 2 p.m. CT, while first pitch Sunday is scheduled for noon.
