Kangaroos Split Doubleheader With Jackrabbits

Saturday, April 18

Kansas City, Mo. (Cleveland Park)

3:00 p.m. CT

Kansas City

South Dakota State

Kangaroos Split Doubleheader With Jackrabbits

4/18/2009 10:00:00 PM | Softball

By: UMKC Athletics

Kansas City, Mo. -- UMKC went 1-1 against South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon to push its record to 15-30 on the season and 5-12 in The Summit League. The Kangaroos won game one of the series, 5-4, before dropping game two to the Jackrabbits, 2-0. Kelly Fischer led UMKC at the plate and scored one run off of four hits on the day. The pair will close out the series tomorrow at Cleveland Park, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

UMKC 5 - SDSU 4

The Kangaroos recorded 12 hits and scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to prevail over the Jackrabbits, 5-4. SDSU jumped on the scoreboard first, scoring two runs off of two hits in the top of the first. But Fischer cut the lead to one in the bottom of the first after she singled to center field and scored off of a Carli Slagle RBI single.

SDSU scored a run in both the third and the fourth inning to hold a 4-1 lead over UMKC. The Kangaroos scored two runs off of two hits and two Jackrabbit errors in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to one at 4-3. Chelsea Hartwig walked and Rashonda Stanley would pinch run for her and move to second on a Megan Vicino hit. A SDSU error advanced the runners and put Ashley Whiteside at first. Stanley then crossed home plate following a Kaelene Curry walk. Fischer then followed with an RBI single to the shortstop to drive in Vicino.

The `Roos tied things up in the sixth when they scored one run off of four hits. Stanley opened with single to left and moved to second on a Whiteside sacrifice bunt. Curry followed with a single to right field, and Stanley came around the bases to tie the game off of an error by the right fielder in the same play.

UMKC held SDSU scoreless in the top of the seventh and sealed the win in the bottom of the inning. Danielle Bennefeld singled and then moved to second on a Hartwig hit. Vicino then laced the game winning single over the left fielder's head to plate the go-ahead run.

Both Samantha Hurst and Taya Upkes pitched for UMKC. Hurst threw four innings and gave up four runs off of seven hits with three of those runs being earned. She finished the game with eight strikeouts. Upkes relieved her in the fifth, and she recorded the win for the Kangaroos. Upkes gave up just two hits and struck out one.

SDSU 2 - UMKC 0

It would only take one inning and a two-run homer in the top of the fourth for the Jackrabbits to pull off the win. The Kangaroos were held scoreless, but the squad had several chances to drive in some runs. UMKC left runners stranded on base in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Fischer, Hanley and Whiteside all posted hits for the Kangaroos. Nicholle Ellis suffered the loss for UMKC on the mound, as she threw four innings, giving up two runs off of four hits with three K's.