Poway, Calif. ? Mel Wallach went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs to power Kansas University past Cal State Northridge, 4-0, in the Jayhawks’ finale Sunday at the Campbell/Cartier softball tournament.
The game-winning run for KU — which went 3-1 at the tournament and improved to 7-1 overall — came off a first-inning homer for the third consecutive game.
“If you would have asked me before the season if we’d be 7-1 at this point in the season, I’d probably say no,” KU coach Tracy Bunge said. “The reason we’re 7-1 is because we’ve played consistently and gotten some very good pitching.
“We’ve been steady defensively and emotionally. And for a young team, that speaks volumes about where we are right now. We just beat three teams that were in the postseason last year, so it was a very solid effort from our team this weekend.”
KU junior right-hander Kara Pierce (5-1) tossed her second straight shutout, holding the Matadors to four hits while striking out six.
Kansas took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when center fielder Wallach tagged her first home run of the season deep over the left-center fence. Wallach knocked in another run in the third, and freshman Melaney Torres followed with a double to right-center to score Wallach and give the Jayhawks their 4-0 lead.
Kansas had seven hits, compared to four for the Matadors (6-4).
The Jayhawks will head to Santa Barbara, Calif., for another three-day tournament this weekend.
Kansas 4, Cal State Northridge 0
CS Northridge 000 000 0 — 0 4 1
W-Kara Pierce, 5-1. L-Monique Lovell, 0-1.
2B-Kansas: Melaney Torres, Sandy Smith. 3B-CS Northridge: Christen Bedwell. HR-Kansas: Mel Wallach.
Kansas highlights: Wallach was 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs; Pierce tossed complete game, allowing 4 hits with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts; Lindsey Weinstein was 1-for-3 with a run; Torres had an RBI; KU was 3-1 at tournament to improve to 7-1 overall.
