OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team returned to action on Tuesday afternoon with a doubleheader split with Kansas City. With a win in game one, 7-6 (8 innings), Head Coach Jeanne Scarpello recorded her 650th career victory, all at the helm of the Maverick softball program. UNO dropped the second game, 8-0.
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday at Westside Field at Westbrook against the University of North Dakota. Game one of the doubleheader is set to start at 2:00 p.m. with game two to start approximately at 4:00 p.m.
Omaha 7, Kansas City 6 (8 innings)
In the opener, Kansas City controlled the tempo early and built a 5-1 advantage by plating two runs in the first inning and single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings. UMKC's Cinda Ramos led the team in the opener with two RBIs and a 3-for-3 effort at the plate.
Omaha trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning. Freshman Megan May led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to left field.
Campbell Ditto hit her team leading eighth home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the UMKC lead to 5-2.
Omaha's offense picked things up in the bottom of the seventh. Tonya Peterson opened the inning with a single to right field. Pinch runner Kylie Schwarting advanced to second on a Ditto single. Schwarting and Ditto scored when May reached base on a throwing error by the UMKC third baseman. Carly Nielsen roped a double to deep centerfield to bring in pinch runner Bailey Schulenberg to tie the game, 5-5.
Kansas City scored the runner it inherited via the Intenational Tie Breaker system with a single to right field, and took a 6-5 lead, but Omaha was far from finished. With Tara Trede on second base via the International Tie Breaker, Allie Mathewson's fly ball to right field was misplayed by the UMKC outfielder allowing Trede to score and Mathewson to reach third base. Kelly Pattison reached base when the Roos misplayed a bunt that allowed Mathewson to score the game winning run, 7-6.
Ditto led the Mavericks in the opener with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate with a home run and two runs scored. May went 1-for-4 with a home run, while Nielsen was 1-for-1 with a double and a RBI.
Jaylee Hinrichs (9-8) pitched a complete game allowing four earned runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Kansas City 8, Omaha 0 (5 innings)
Kansas City pitcher Katie Kelly allowed three hits and struck out eight Omaha batters in the five inning victory.
Kat Barrow (7-7) took the loss, throwing 3.1 innings with 10 hits and six earned runs and two strikeouts. Carly Nielsen pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Mavs. Nielsen allowed one run on two hits with a strikeout.
Lizzie Noble went 1-for-2 at the plate with a double. Kelly Pattison and Tonya Peterson each had singles.
