Jared Soares/Journal-World PhotoThose weren’t bats Texas A&M’s softball players were carrying to home plate. They were torches.
“They’re a team on fire,” Kansas University coach Tracy Bunge said of the Aggies.
Texas A&M boosted its record to a dazzling 34-2 by completing a sweep of the Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark, winning, 7-1, after romping, 13-1, Saturday.
Bunge was so disgusted after Saturday’s lopsided loss that she burned some ears in a 45-minute postgame meeting behind closed doors. Sunday, she wasn’t pleased with the outcome, but she couldn’t fault the effort.
“I felt we had some kids who fought really hard,” Bunge said. “We had a couple of opportunities to score more runs, but we really battled.”
Aggressive base-running cost the Jayhawks a run in the fourth when Serena Settlemier, who had doubled off the center-field fence, was thrown out at home trying to score on Ashley Goodrich’s single.
Moments later, Nicole Washburn singled, but A&M pitcher Amanda Scarborough pitched out of the jam.
“Scarborough is tough. She’s really doing a good job for a freshman,” Bunge said, “but I felt were we on her ball hard.”
Scarborough, whose record climbed to 20-0, escaped jams in the third and fifth as well.
In the third, center fielder Sharonda McDonald made a running catch of Destiny Frankenstein’s laser into right-center and turned it into a double play.
“McDonald may be the fastest player in the country,” said Bunge of the sophomore from Houston who had three of the Aggies’ eight Sunday stolen bases.
In the fifth, KU had runners at second and third with one out, but Settlemier popped to third and Goodrich hit a come-backer.
KU starter Christina Ross looked unhittable in the first two innings. The freshman left-hander struck out the side in the first and retired the Aggies 1-2-3 in the second, all on ground balls. But A&M rallied for three runs on four hits plus a Ross error on a throw to first in the third and Bunge replaced her with Settlemier.
“Ross pitched well for two innings, but A&M is a team that really adjusts well,” Bunge said. “She has an inside screwball and a curveball and they started sitting on her curve.”
In dropping its sixth straight, Kansas fell to 15-15 overall and 0-4 in the Big 12.
“Hopefully, we’ll get better from here,” Settlemier said. “The past few games we’ve been stuck in a valley.”
Kansas is scheduled to play host to UMKC on Tuesday afternoon, then resume conference competition next weekend at Oklahoma.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Settlemier said.
Elle Pottorf, KU’s starting catcher, had to leave in the third inning after a collision at home plate. Pottorf suffered a shin bruise, and Bunge listed her as doubtful for Tuesday’s game.
Pottorf had caught every inning of every game until suffering the injury. Goodrich made her KU debut behind the plate.
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