?Roos Look to Extend Winning Streak with Matchup Against Arkansas
3/26/2013 4:23:00 PM | Softball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – After not competing for the second straight weekend due inclement weather, the Kansas City Kangaroos (11-12) will head south Wednesday evening to face the Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13, 0-6 SEC) at 5 p.m.
The Opponent
» Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13, 0-6 Southeastern Conference)
The Razorbacks head into Wednesday's contest at 2-3 in their last five games, with both wins coming against Savannah State. As for the losses, Arkansas dropped all three games in its series with No. 3 Florida this past weekend.
At the plate, outfield Stephanie Canfield (.473) and utility player Devon Wallace (.415) are two of Arkansas' best hitters. For Canfield, she has tallied 35 hits, 14 RBI and one home run, whereas Wallace has 34 hits and 19 RBI on the season to go along with an SEC-best nine 39 runs and .628 on-base percentage. Wallace also leads Arkansas in home runs (9) and slugging percentage (.841), while going a perfect 9-for-9 in the stolen department.
Adding to Arkansas' offensive attack, infielder Chloe Oprzedek is batting .337 with 30 hits, seven home runs and a team-high 25 RBI, while infielder Clarisa Navarro leads the squad in hits (36) and at-bats (108) for a .333 batting average.
Pitching wise, four players have made at least five starts this season with the staff holding an overall 2.48 ERA. Leading the way, senior Chelsea Cohen is 10-6 in 21 appearances (16 starts) with a 2.57 ERA, two shutouts and a team-high 110 strikeouts, whereas senior Hope McLemore (3-2) maintains a team-best 1.98 ERA in 10 appearances (seven starts) and freshman Kelly Young (4-0) has a 2.25 ERA in nine appearances (five starts).
Rounding out Arkansas' pitching staff is sophomore Kimmy Beasley (4-5), who is second on the team in strikeouts (75) and leads the Razorbacks in saves (3) with a 2.77 ERA. Against Savannah State on March 20 in a 10-0 win in six innings, Beasley became the first Razorback pitcher since 2006 to toss a no-hitter as she recorded seven strikeouts and surrendered one walk.
» The Head Coach: Mike Larabee is in the fourth season at Arkansas and holds a 91-109 overall record. Last season, the Razorbacks finished 29-28, which included a victory over eventual national champion during the regular season, No. 7 Alabama, and reaching the program's first Regional final.
» The Series: The Kangaroos are 1-7 all-time against Arkansas. In their last meeting, Kansas City fell 2-0 to the Razorbacks on the road last season. The Kangaroos' lone victory of the series came in 2011 with a 2-1 victory at Arkansas.
Last Time Out…
Kansas City swept the Missouri State Bears in a doubleheader on the road, 2-1 and 7-2.
In game one, the Kangaroos erased a 1-0 deficit in the third inning, sparked by back-to-back singles from infielders Jenna Rangel and Liz Broyles. Next up, infielder Marlee Maples drove in both runners with an infield single to second to make it a 2-1 ball game. As for pitcher Deanna Friese (7-5), she recorded six strikeouts and surrendered two walks for the win.
Meanwhile, game two was knotted at two through four innings until Kansas City scored five runs in the last two innings to get the win. Despite Missouri State connecting on more hits than the Kangaroos, infielder Liz Broyles and catcher Caitlin Christopher both went 2-for-4 with two RBI, including Christopher tallying her first home run of the season. In the circle, sophomore Cinda Ramos (3-6) recorded three strikeouts and two walks in five innings of work, whereas Friese (1) pitched two innings and recorded three strikeouts to pick up the save.
A Season of Highs and Lows
Sitting with an 11-12 overall record, UMKC has seen its share of highs and lows so far through 2013.
To begin the season, the Kangaroos went 3-1 in the Upstate Classic as the squad held a .311 batting average with 33 hits, 16 RBI and 24 runs, while the pitching staff maintained a 2.88 ERA with 26 strikeouts, eight earned runs and six walks.
Despite the solid start, Kansas City dropped its next six games, including all five games in the Troy Cox Classic. During this skid, UMKC was outscored 66-26 in 32 innings.
Then, the Kangaroos caught fire by ripping off four straight wins with victories over Indiana State, Belmont, Nicholls State and Detroit in the Blues City Classic. Throughout this streak, Kansas City batted .396 with 44 hits, 31 runs, 27 RBI, nine walks and 10 stolen bases, whereas the bullpen posted a 2.77 ERA with 23 hits, eight earned runs, eight walks and 22 strikeouts.
Although, UMKC hit another slide by dropping all five games in Texas Tech's Jeannie McHaney Memorial Classic, as the Kangaroos were outscored 58-21 during this stretch.
But, the Blue & Gold bounced back by winning their next four games with doubleheader sweeps over Wichita State and most recently, Missouri State. Offensively, the Kangaroos are batting .299 and have outscored their opponents during this streak, 20-5, while the pitching staff holds a 1.29 ERA, struck out 39 batters and allowed four earned runs.
Friese Throwing Fire
After an up-and-down season thus far, Deanna Friese has rounded back into form the last four games.
Starting both games in Kansas City's doubleheader sweep over Wichita State, Friese allowed one earned run, surrendered five walks and recorded 27 K's for a 0.64 ERA. The following week in the Blue & Gold's doubleheader sweep at Missouri State on March 19, the Kennesaw, Ga. native, picked up her seventh win and first save of the season while dishing out nine strikeouts, walking two batters and allowing one earned run on six hits in nine innings of work.
For the season, Friese's ERA sits at 8.07 with 95 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched.
Ott Gaining Momentum
During Kansas City's current winning streak, Emily Ott is batting .400 with four RBI, two runs three RBI and one homer. With these efforts, she is now tied with Liz Broyles for the team's leader in batting (.379) with 23 hits, six doubles, 10 runs, 15 RBI and two home runs.
Earlier in the season in an 11-3 loss to Texas Tech on Feb. 16, Ott hit a solo home run to pass Amanda Rice (1999-02) to become the program's all-time in the RBI department with 98. Currently, her career RBI total stands at 108.
Moving Up the Career List
With her performance against Missouri State, sophomore Cinda Ramos moved up in the UMKC record books in two different categories.
Career wise, Ramos now sits ninth in innings pitched (221.2) and seventh in wins (16).
Can't Shake the Weather Bug
With inconsistent weather throughout the Midwest region, Kansas City has had 13 games cancelled this season, including nine league games against Fort Wayne, North Dakota State and Oakland.
RPI Rankings Released
Monday, the NCAA released its first RPI rankings of the season as the Kangaroos held down the 159th spot. After finishing the 2011 season with their highest ranking in team history at 117th, the Kangaroos finished last season ranked 150th.
Through 23 Games in 2012...
The Kangaroos were 1-3 in Summit League play and 11-12 overall, coming off a 4-3 loss at home to Fort Wayne.
Next Up for the Kangaroos...
Will be a home series against league foe, Omaha (April 6 – 7).
