🥎 Offense Explodes as Kansas Tops Texas Tech in Eight

LUBBOCK, TEXAS – In a game that lasted three hours and 17 minutes, Kansas softball defeated Texas Tech 15-12 in extra innings Saturday at Rocky Johnson Field to even the series at 1-1. Every Kansas batter that saw an at-bat got on base as KU and TTU combined for 36 hits in the contest.

Kansas hit a season-high four home runs and as it improved to 26-13-1 and 11-6 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech fell to 25-13 (5-9 Big 12).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Texas Tech scored early in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff double and a groundout, the Red Raiders hit a two-run home run to center to take an early 2-0 lead.
• Kansas responded in the very next inning with five runs off two solo home runs and three singles to take a 5-2 lead. In the first at-bat and first pitch of the frame, Hailey Cripe hit her fifth home run of the season to put Kansas on the board. After a groundout, Sara Roszak hit another solo homer to left to tie the game at 2-2. After Ashlyn Anderson singled and Angela Price drew a walk to put runners on first and second, Presley Limbaugh came up clutch with a RBI single. Aynslee Linduff followed that with a hit by pitch and Lyric Moore capitalized with a two-run single to give Kansas a 5-2 lead.
• The Jayhawks extended their lead by one in the third. Roszak continued to good day with a double and advanced to third thanks to a groundout. With two outs, Price hit a double to left center to extend KU’s lead to 6-2.
• The Red Raiders added three more runs in the third. With one out, TTU singled through the left side to put a runner on first. TTU followed that up with its second two-run home run of the day to cut into KU’s lead, 6-4. After putting two more runners on, Texas Tech added its third run of the frame off a single to make it a 6-5 game.
• TTU tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. A double, an intentional walk and a single were enough to push the tying run across as the Red Raiders tied the game at 6-6.
• KU scored four runs in the in the top of the sixth to take a 10-6 lead. Price opened the inning with a walk and got all the way to third as she swiped second and advanced to third off a groundout. Linduff smoked a double over the center fielder’s head to break give Kansas the lead back. In the next at-bat, Moore doubled to bring Linduff home, followed by a Cripe walk. Anna Soles came on to pinch hit and she delivered with a single to give Kansas its third run of the frame. Campbell Bagshaw rounded out the scoring with a single to give Kansas a four-run advantage.
• Texas Tech cut into KU’s lead in the bottom of the sixth. After loading the bases with three-straight singles, the Red Raiders produced a RBI groundout and a two-run single to make it a 10-9 game.
• The Jayhawks added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Limbaugh produced her second hit of the contest, a double, to put herself in scoring position. With two outs, Moore hit her sixth home run of the season to give Kansas a 12-9 lead heading into the last frame of the game.
• Texas Tech tied the game in the bottom of the seventh to push the contest to extra innings. TTU scored three runs off four hits to tie the game at 12-12.
• Kansas got itself on the board in the top of the eighth. Olivia Bruno opened extras with a single and got to second on a sacrifice bunt by Roszak. With two outs, pinch hitter Addison Purvis singled down the right field line as KU broke the tie. The Jayhawks weren’t done as Price hit the first home run of her career to push two more across and gave Kansas a 15-12 lead, enough to close out the win.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Olivia Bruno (2-1)
Final line: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
Save: Kasey Hamilton (3)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO
Loss: Maddy Wright (9-6)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 SO

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Moore recorded a season-high four hits in five at-bats along with five RBI and a home run. The four hits match her career high and this was the second time this season Moore produced four or more RBI.

QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
“It was a dogfight today. They, obviously, swing the bat really well. They’re going to put runs on the board, but I was really proud of our team’s fight today. We had a lot of players that really stepped up. Lyric Moore had a phenomenal day at the plate, 4-for-5, and was clutch with some RBIs today. We needed all of them and we’re going to need all of them tomorrow too. We know that we’re not going to go away and they’re not going to go away, so we just have to keep fighting, playing hard and trusting the process.” – Kansas Head Coach Jennifer McFalls

“I was feeling pretty good, honestly. We had a pregame conference and said that we just have to dig in deeper and get grittier, that was the only thing on my mind. I just wanted to come through for my teammates every time I came up to the plate and drive the ball for extra bases. That’s what we talked about pregame, because we knew that Texas Tech was going to score their runs, so we had to match that.” – Lyric Moore

• With its 11th conference win of the season, Kansas has its most conference wins since 1997 when that team won 11.
• The Jayhawks now have 26 wins this season, the most since 2018 when KU won 27.
• The Jayhawks produced 18 hits, the most for Kansas in a conference game since at least 2011.
• KU scored 15 runs in the extra innings game, the most runs scored by Kansas in a conference game since April 28, 1978, when Kansas beat Kansas State 15-0. 
• Price hit the first home run of her career to push two across in the top of the eighth.
• Moore went 4-for-5 at the dish, which matches her career-high of four hits. The four hits were the most she has hit this season as she now has 10 multi-hit games this season. She also produced five RBI, her second game with four or more RBI this season.

UP NEXT
Kansas will face off against Texas Tech in its first rubber match of the season as it looks to win its fourth Big 12 series this season Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.