Kansas City
Omaha
UMKC Falls to Omaha on Walk Off Hit in the Jayhawk Invitational
3/12/2016 11:19:00 PM | Softball
Box Score
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The UMKC softball team battled with Omaha on Saturday, March 12 in the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas, trading punch for punch, but it was the Mavs that came out on top, 4-3, on a walk off single.
Omaha (11-14) fired the opening salvo with a one-out single down the left field line off sophomore pitcher Amber Grove, scoring a runner that reached on a leadoff single.
The 'Roos (6-12) struck back quickly, as sophomore Kendra Leach (2-for-3) continued her hot streak, hitting a two-RBI double to left field. The hit extended her hitting streak to six games, and gave her six RBIs in the Jayhawk Invitational.
UNO answered back in the third, taking advantage of a UMKC error to score and unearned run and tie the game, 2-2.
Grove struck out the side in the fourth inning, but a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the fifth from the Mavs put UMKC down a run in the late innings.
Leach tripled to center field to lead off the sixth inning, continuing to raise her batting average this season to a team-leading .438, and freshman Morgan Byrn (2-for-3) brought in the duck on the pond with an RBI single and even the score back at three apiece.
Head coach Meredith Smith Neal decided to bring in senior Katie Kelley (1-7) to finish out the game, and Grove's day ended after 5.0 innings pitched, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits, including seven strike outs, the second-most from her this season.
Kelley sat down the UNO batters, 1-2-3, giving a chance for the 'Roos to take the lead in the seventh, but a runner stranded on second would dash the hopes of taking the lead in the final scheduled frame, and would look to pitching and defense to take it to extra innings.
Omaha singled to open the bottom half of the inning, but a pop up immediately following the hit looked to put UMKC back in a position to take it to extras.
A stolen base from UNO and a throwing error from catcher Kelsey Volle brought the runner to third with one out, and a single sealed the fate of the 'Roos, as the Mavs walked off winners, 4-3.
UMKC wraps-up the Jayhawk Invitational with a final game on Sunday, March 13, against Western Illinois at 11:30 a.m.
