Kansas City
IUPUI
?Roos Sweep IUPUI on the Road Sunday Afternoon with a Pair of One-Score Victories
4/21/2013 7:15:00 PM | Softball
(Franklin, Ind.) – After a weekend filled with time, day and location changes due to possible inclement weather and bad field conditions, the Kansas City Kangaroos (16-17, 5-3 SL) came away victorious against the IUPUI Jaguars (17-25, 7-13 SL) in Sunday's doubleheader played at Franklin College, 5-4 and 4-3.
With these wins, the Kangaroos matched their season-long winning streak of four games with each victory during this stretch coming in league action.
In game one, the Kangaroos rode the arm of pitcher Deanna Friese (11-9) through the first three innings as she recorded six strikeouts and allowed one hit. Then in the fourth with runners in scoring position, UMKC capitalized on an IUPUI error as infielder Marlee Maples scored from third to give the Kangaroos a 1-0. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, catcher Alexandra Friloux drove in Ott from third with a sac-fly RBI to increase UMKC's lead to two.
Next inning, after Friese pushed her strikeout total to eight, outfielder Brooke Parker led off the frame with an infield singled, followed by designated hitter Liz Broyles (2) sending one deep to right center for a two-run homer to make it a 4-0 ball game.
As for IUPUI during the fifth, it had a chance to get back in the game after loading the bases with nobody out. However, Kansas City's defense kept the Jaguars at bay by maintaining the shutout, while Friese pushed her strikeout total to 10.
In the sixth, same score, the Kangaroos loaded the bases yet again after outfielder Emily Ott walked with two outs. Next up, UMKC caught a break when infielder Chelsea Hartwig took a pitch to the leg as Parker scored to extend her squad's lead to five. Although, Kansas City could not extend its lead as infielder Katie Kelley grounded out to short to end the inning.
Yet, the Jags' offense came alive later in the inning with the bases loaded when infielder Angela Bartucci RBI-singled through the left side to cut UMKC's lead to three. Two batters later, with the bases loaded again after an error by the Kangaroos, infielder Kelsey Rupert connected for an RBI-single through the right side as two runners scored to make it a 5-4 contest. With the Kangaroos reeling, Friese ended the inning with her 11th strikeout of the game to stop the bleeding.
After Kansas City could not extend its lead in the seventh, the Jaguars continued their momentum from the previous inning with a lead-off single by infielder Ali Mosier. Nevertheless, Friese shunned IUPUI's offense by striking out the next three batters to seal the win for the Kangaroos.
At game's end, Friese finished with 14 K's, coming within one shy of matching a season-high, to go along with allowing four hits, two earned runs and five walks. Offensively, Parker went 2-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases to lead UMKC, while Broyles added a walk to her two-run home run performance.
In game two, no score, the Kangaroos took a 2-0 lead in the third when Maples reached first on an infield single as two runners capitalized off two IUPUI errors. But, the Jags tied the game in the following inning with back-to-back RBI-doubles by outfielder Lindsey Richards and Bartucci.
In the fifth, IUPUI continued to put pressure on the Kangaroos when Mosier reached on an error to load the bases with nobody out. After head coach Meredith Smith replaced starting pitcher Cinda Ramos (4-7) with Friese, the Kangaroos got out of the inning allowing one run by way of a sac-fly RBI as IUPUI now had its first lead of the day.
With UMKC still trailing 3-2 in the seventh, catcher Caitlin Christopher led off the inning with a single through the left side. Two batters later, after pinch hitter Maddie Garton popped up to pitcher Jocelyn Oppenhuis (4-9), Kelley (5) connected for a two-run blast to left to give Kansas City a 4-3 lead.
In hopes of a rally, Friese and the Kansas City defense shut down IUPUI's lineup, capped off by catcher Eryn Dillon flying out to left to end the game.
Leading the way offensively in game two, Christopher went 2-for-3, whereas Broyles went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. In the circle, Ramos recorded three strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in four innings of work, while Friese tallied three strikeouts in three innings to pick up the win.
Coming up, the Blue & Gold will welcome the nearby Kansas Jayhawks to Kansas City this Tuesday for a doubleheader at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
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