Kansas City Softball Earns Two Wins in Double-Header Home Opener

Saturday, February 27

Kansas City, Mo.

1:00 PM

Kansas City

5-1

Drake University

2-4

Drake

Kansas City

Kansas City Softball Earns Two Wins in Double-Header Home Opener

2/27/2021 9:33:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Final Box- Game 1 Final Box- Game 2

A run-rule hit parade and 12 inning nail biter leave the Roos victorious

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Roos returned home to the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy for their first game on their home turf since May 2019. In their season opener, Kansas City (6-1) defeated the Drake Bulldogs (2-5) in both games. The season home opener marks the first time that Head Coach Kerry Shaw had the home field advantage since being hired. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 in Coach Shaw's first season prior to their home opener, the Roos were eager to represent Kansas City at home.

"This is the first time myself and any newcomers to the program since I was hired got to step on this field for a real game," Shaw said. "It felt great."

Game No. One v. Drake University [Final 8-0 in 5 innings]
Kansas City won their home opener in a shortened 8-0 game after the Roos decided to break it open with the bats. The pitchers' duel lasted until Faith Willis stepped up with bases loaded and two outs and the opportunity to blow things open. She took her inside-low pitch and drove it hard to left field for a single that got past the Drake left fielder and cleared the bases.

"We have been starting off slow, but we know we are never out of it," Coach Shaw said. "We never give up; we're eventually going to get it going."

The threat in the bottom of the fourth forced a pitching change for the Bulldogs to start fifth inning. The new pitcher did not throw off the Kansas City batter as the Roos exploded on offense to end the game early. The final inning began with Alexis D'Ambrosio getting ahead in the count 3-0. She got the green light to start the inning with a solo homerun driven well over left-centerfield to extend the lead to four. Lia Lombardini added two more RBIs in the frame and was later driven in by Ally Vonfeldt. Ashley Thorne ended the game with a run-rule after she doubled to right field scoring Vonfeldt.

Mia Hoveland continued her strong junior campaign adding seven more strikeouts to her name in her first shutout of the season.

Game No. Two v. Drake University [Final 5-4 in 12 innings]
The Roos decided they wanted to make up for lost time on their home field and extended the game by five extra innings, eventually winning 5-4 in the bottom of the twelfth.

"I don't think you can say it any better than it is just mental toughness," Shaw explained on how they keep winning closely contested games.

Kansas City got up early when Lombardini scored D'Ambrosio and Kloe Hilbrenner on a single up the middle in the first inning. Drake answered back immediately scoring three runs in the top of the second. The game was equalized in the third when Katherine Karnatz scored on a Bulldog error. The game remained 3-3 until the final inning of regulation play.

"Props to the Drake pitcher, her change up had us spinning in circles a bit," Shaw expressed. "But a win is a win."

An error in the top of the seventh could have been the end of the Roos in their second game, but Kansas City's D'Ambrosio tripled to right center to score Karnatz and send the game to extra innings. The game remained even until Vonfeldt opened the bottom of the twelfth with a triple and crossed home plate on Faith Willis' hard-hit ball to the Drake shortstop that couldn't be handled.

"Mia is a bulldog, she always wants the ball," Coach Shaw explained about his junior pitcher who has been amazing thus far.

Freshman pitcher Camryn Stickel kept the Roos in the game until Hoveland entered in the seventh to close out. Hoveland added six more strikeouts and allowed zero runs to earn the win.