Ames, Iowa ? The Kansas University softball team missed a chance to clinch the all-important No. 6 seed in the Big 12 Conference tournament as it was swept, 8-0 and 3-2, by conference bottom-feeder Iowa State on Saturday.
Senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys ran into trouble early in Game One. The Cyclones scored seven runs in the first 11â3 innings against Humphreys. She was pulled in favor of Sarah Vertelka.
The game was shortened to five innings because of the Big 12’s run rule.
In Game Two, Val Chapple’s solo home run and Stevie Crisosto’s RBI single weren’t enough to erase an early three-run deficit.
Vertelka started the game for KU, lasting two innings and giving up one run on three hits before giving way to sophomore Valerie George, who allowed two runs in her four innings.
Had the Jayhawks won one of Saturday’s games, they could have avoided the play-in game at the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City. Instead, they will face the Cyclones again at 5 p.m. Thursday for the right to join the tournament field.