“Thanks for the good news,” KU coach Tracy Bunge said while forcing a smile after she was informed of her team’s rare tally in the win, loss and tie columns.

A day after the Jayhawks’ game with Nebraska was halted by darkness, the second game of KU’s doubleheader with Creighton on Thursday ended with a 1-1 score after nine innings because of darkness at new Arrocha Ballpark, which does not have lights yet.

The good news for the Jayhawks (21-16-1) was that they broke their 41-inning scoreless streak, and snapped their seven-game losing streak in Thursday’s opener with the Bluejays. Destiny Frankenstein and Serena Settlemier hit back-to-back home runs in KU’s 2-0 victory.

The bad news for Bunge’s ballclub came earlier when, after much discussion and three reversals, Big 12 Conference officials ruled Wednesday’s game against Nebraska was official. Thus the Cornhuskers, who held a 3-0 lead after six complete innings, were awarded the victory.

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

“First it was a complete game, then they were calling it a noncomplete game and we would finish up at Nebraska,” Bunge said of the Big 12’s ruling. “Then they decided it was a complete game, so ….”

Then the Jayhawks did it all over again Thursday. However, Bunge said the tie against Creighton was official because it was a nonleague contest.

“In my seven years, maybe but one time we haven’t finished because of darkness. And this is two in two days,” said a bewildered Bunge of the doubleheader, which started at 2 p.m., but the nightcap lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes — the same time as Wednesday’s halted game.

The highlight of the first game for KU was when Frankenstein finally stopped the Jayhawks’ scoreless streak — Kansas had been outscored 22-0 in seven games — by launching a solo shot over the wall in left field.

“It was the first one for me in the ballpark so of course I was excited,” Frankenstein said. “It was awesome.”

Settlemier — a sophomore, who needs only one more homer to tie KU’s all-time single-season record of 12, set by Leah Tabb in 2001 — followed Frankenstein with a solid solo shot of her own in nearly the same spot in left.

KU senior Kara Pierce did the rest, striking out 11 and allowing a lone hit to secure her 12th victory of the season.

“I’m really pleased right now with what our pitching staff is doing,” Bunge said. “When a team is not hitting, your pitching has to pick you up. They are right now. They’re throwing well right now, keeping us in ball games. But we have to score some runs.”

Kansas again didn’t do that in the nightcap, scoring only once when Frankenstein drove in KU’s Sylvia Pfeffier in the third.

The Jayhawks — who again got solid pitching from Pierce and Humphreys, combining for 22 strikeouts — did accumulate six hits, but stranded 11 runners on base.

6Sports video: KU softball has another game ending in darkness

“Two home runs in the first game, but we haven’t strung together hits,” Bunge said. “That’s what I’m really looking for, and that’s when I know we’re really going to bust out of this.

“The home runs are great. Trust me, I’ll take them. But I’m really looking for this team to start stringing together hits and to start executing better.”

In the ninth inning — in extra innings in softball each team starts with a runner at second base — Jessica Moppin’s sacrifice bunt moved runner Ashley Frazer to third. But then Sandy Smith failed to convert on a squeeze bunt which was caught in the air for the second out. Dani May fouled out to first, ending the game.

“Toward the end of this ball game if we get a squeeze bunt down, then we walk into home plate,” said Bunge, whose team will continue its five-game homestand with a single game Saturday and Sunday against Texas Tech.

“We’ve got to execute. You get one chance a lot of times in those situations, and we didn’t get it done.”