.png&width=40&type=webp)
Kansas City
Grand Canyon
Kelley and Company Take Rubber Match From GCU in Extras
4/3/2016 12:25:00 AM | Softball
Box Score
PHOENIX – UMKC softball senior Katie Kelley did everything she could to ensure the 'Roos won the first series of Western Athletic Conference play, hitting a grand slam and picking up the win in the circle in the rubber match against Grand Canyon on Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona.
The GCU Lopes (26-12, 1-2 WAC) struck first, scoring a run in the opening inning of UMKC (10-17, 2-1 WAC) starting pitcher, sophomore Amber Grove, by hitting a one-out solo home run.
The 'Roos answered in a big way in the third inning, with sophomore Ashlin O'Brien (1-for-3) getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game at one, and Kelley (1-for-4) bringing all the 'Roos in with the grand slam, opening the score up to 5-1 in favor of Kansas City's Division I team.
GCU scratched a run across in the fifth, but Grove and the 'Roos limited the damage by stranding three Lopes on the range.
UMKC allowed the Lopes to bring it even in the sixth, with Grove giving up a three-run bomb. With the score tied at five, head coach Meredith Smith Neal elected to bring in Kelley to try to close the game out.
Kelley did just that, shutting down the GCU offense in two and two-thirds innings pitched, allowing just one hit, and picking up two runs of support off a double from sophomore Kelsey Goodwin (1-for-4) and a single from freshman Morgan Bryn (2-for-4) in the eighth inning to give the 'Roos the 7-5 victory.
The 'Roos are in action next when they host CSU Bakersfield April 8 and 9 for three games at Missouri 3&2 for the 2016 home opener.
