Kansas City
Northern Illinois
?Roos Sweep Afternoon Series With NIU
3/11/2014 10:33:00 PM | Softball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – The hot hitting continued for Cinda Ramos on Tuesday, as the junior from Olathe, Kan., lifted the Kansas City Kangaroos to a 5-2 victory over Northern Illinois with a three-run walk-off homerun in game one of the afternoon doubleheader.
The Huskies plated a run in the top of the second on a solo homerun by Emily Naegele, but UMKC pitcher Katie Kelley was otherwise efficient in the circle, keeping the Huskies at bay, and allowing the 'Roos to chip away.
Ramos tied the game in the home half of the fifth with a sacrifice fly to score Brooke Parker from third base following a Parker single.
The teams traded runs in the sixth inning, Kansas City by way of an Alex Friloux RBI single that plated Marlee Maples, following Maples's one-out double into the left-centerfield gap.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, tied 2-2, Lee led off with a single through the right side. An error allowed Parker aboard one batter later, setting the stage for Ramos with two on and nobody out. Ramos uncorked the first pitch of her at bat, walking the 'Roos off in style with a three-run blast to right-centerfield.
Kelley got the win for UMKC, allowing just two earned runs on five hits over seven innings of work. Ramos was 2-for-3 at the plate, driving in four of Kansas City's five runs.
Kenzie Flaws started game two in the circle for the 'Roos, and was effective early, cruising into the third inning without incident.
Meanwhile, Kansas City jumped on the board in the bottom of the first inning, stringing back-to-back doubles by Kelley and Bri Wyatt together with an RBI single by Marlee Maples to create a pair of runs.
Flaws ran into some trouble with one out in the visitor's half of the third, when a pair of Huskies reached base with one away. Head coach Meredith Smith Neal opted to lift Flaws in favor of Ramos, who retired the next batter with a fly out. With two down and runners at the corners, Caitlin Christopher cut down a would-be base-stealer to end the frame scoreless.
Northern Illinois would get within a run in the top of the fourth with a double-single sequence that plated a run, but from there, Ramos would slam the door. In addition to her hitting heroics in the first game, she earned the victory in the circle in game two, going 4.2 innings, and allowing the lone run on three hits and striking out three.
Flaws did not allow a run, scattering four hits over 2.1 innings of work. Maples was the hitting star in the second half of the double-dip, going 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, and an RBI.
The two-game sweep of the Huskies marks the first time in program history that UMKC has swept a home series at Missouri 3&2 Complex.
Kansas City will return to the diamond for a pair on Saturday when the 'Roos welcome Northern Colorado and Western Illinois for the UMKC Invitational. The first game of the tournament is slated for noon, with UMKC scheduled to play the Leathernecks and Bears at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
