Grand slams key KU sweep

By J-W Staff Reports     Mar 4, 2007

? The Kansas University softball team swung hot bats in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader at the Great Western Downtown Plaza Classic, scoring a combined 17 runs in a sweep of North Texas at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.

The Jayhawks opened the second day of tournament play with a 7-4 victory, followed up by a 10-0 pasting that lasted just 41â2 innings courtesy of the 10-run mercy rule.

In the first game, KU sophomore Elle Pottorf hit a grand slam in the Jayhawks’ five-run third inning, the decisive blow in a contest that saw the two teams combine for 19 hits. She finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs, while fellow sophomore Dougie McCaulley also collected two hits.

Freshman Sarah Vertelka (2-2) allowed two earned runs on eight hits in her 51â3 innings, striking out two and walking none. Senior Kassie Humphreys recorded the final five outs – all on strikeouts – to notch her first save of the season.

In the second game, senior Nicole Washburn matched Pottorf’s opening-game production to the letter, belting a third-inning grand slam on her way to a 2-for-3 performance that included five RBIs. Pottorf also got in on the act, using an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to drive in two more runs. She has 17 RBIs for the season.

Sophomore Val George (2-2) was the beneficiary of the Jayhawks’ offensive punch, tossing five shutout innings while allowing just two hits. She struck out five and walked one.

KU (11-5-1) is 4-0 in tournament play and will face the winner of Saturday night’s Iowa State-Tulsa game in today’s tournament-championship game.

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