Kansas City
South Dakota
Kangaroos Go 2-0 Against The Dakota's In Day One Of Tournament
4/11/2009 12:45:00 AM | Softball
Kansas City, Mo. ? UMKC went 2-0 in day one of the Dakota's Round Robin Tournament, scooping up wins against North and South Dakota. The Kangaroos defeated the Fighting Sioux, 6-1 and then beat the Coyotes, 7-5 to improve to 13-26 on the year. Nicholle Ellis and Sam Hurst recorded wins on the mound for the Kangaroos.
UMKC 6 ? UND 1
Betsy Hanley led the `Roos at the plate, scoring two runs off of two hits. UMKC would only need two innings to get the job done, scoring all its runs in the third and fourth innings. The Kangaroos would take a 3-0 lead at the conclusion of third, scoring three runs off of two hits and one Fighting Sioux error.
UMKC would extend its lead in the bottom of the fourth, tacking on three more runs. North Dakota would finally get on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, but good pitching and solid defense wouldn't allow the Fighting Sioux to get any closer.
Ellis threw five innings and allowed one run to score off of four hits. She walked one and struck out two on the day. Taya Upkes came in at the relief position and closed out the game for the `Roos.
UMKC 7 ? USD 5
Hanley went three-for-four and Carli Slagle went two-for-four in the 7-5 win over South Dakota. The South Dakota sticks got started early and they held a 5-1 lead at the conclusion of the second. The Coyotes scored three runs in the first and two runs in the second.
In the top of the second, Danielle Bennefeld walked and stole second. She scored off of a Chelsea Hartwig RBI double to right center to get the `Roos on the board.
UMKC would keep the momentum going and battle back, scoring at least one run in the next four innings. At the end of the third inning, the `Roos found themselves down by one, 5-4, following a three-run inning.
The Kangaroos would score one run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a 7-5 lead. The defense once again held strong and preserved the win for UMKC.
Anna Sokolik started on the mound for UMKC and was relieved in the second by senior pitcher Sam Hurst. Hurst gave up no runs and allowed just two hits in five innings of work. The senior walked one batter and struck out six on the night.
The pair of wins puts UMKC on a six-game winning streak and the `Roos will look to keep the streak alive tomorrow with the conclusion of the Dakota's Round Robin Tournament. UMKC will face UND at 2:00 p.m. and then face USD at 4:00 p.m.
