.png&width=40&type=webp)
Kansas City
Southeast Missouri State
Stellar Pitching, Homers Propel ?Roos to Victory Over SEMO
3/6/2016 4:13:00 PM | Softball
Box Score
ST. LOUIS – The UMKC softball team ended the Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri on a high note, shutting out Southeast Missouri State 9-0 in six innings, thanks to a one-hit pitching performance from sophomore Amber Grove, and three home runs, including a grand slam off the bat of senior Katie Kelley to put the mercy rule in effect.
Grove (4-3) allowed her only hit of the game in the second inning, a lousy single up the middle, but no harm was done, as she induced a foul-out and a swinging strikeout to the next two batters to get out of the inning unscathed.
Freshman Morgan Byrn (0-for-3) was thrown out trying to steal second base in the second inning, but the play worked in favor of the 'Roos (5-9), as junior Alex Gale (0-for-3) took off for home from third on the throw to fire the opening salvo and give UMKC the early 1-0 lead.
Grove continued to be nails in the circle, hanging zeros the rest of the way, and getting plenty of aid from her teammates' bats.
In the bottom of the fourth, clinging to a 1-0 lead, freshman Bri Sims (2-for-3) gave Grove and the 'Roos a little bit of breathing room, smashing a leadoff home run to left field, her second homer of the season, to make the score 2-0.
With the momentum on their side, UMKC decided to put the game away in the sixth, as Sims doubled to left center field to lead off the inning, and sophomore Kendra Leach (2-for-2) banged her first home run of the season, and second of her career to extend the Kangaroo lead to four.
Two errors from the Redhawks (4-8) gave the 'Roos two more base runners, and a bunt single from senior Brooke Parker (1-for-3) loaded the bases for junior Abby Warkentine (2-for-4) who singled and drove in a run to extend the lead to 5-0.
With the bases still juiced, Kelley (1-for-4) picked a good time to tally her only hit of the game, doing so in style, as she unloaded on a ball and sent it soaring over the left field wall for the round-tripper to walk off with a grand slam to end it in six.
The 'Roos are back on the diamond on March 11 to open the Jayhawk Invitational at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas. UMKC is slated to face Northern Iowa at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, and then battle Western Illinois at 7 p.m.
