Softball Bears dominated Kansas during the Jayhawk Invitational, 13-0.

The Softball Bears recovered from a tight loss in the Jayhawk Invitational on Friday and played a dominant game against the Kansas Jayhawks in game two of day one. 

Friday morning the Softball Bears (15-6) faced off against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (14-10) softball team. 

Both teams would only allow 1 runner on base for the first inning and a half. 

The Bears would hold the Jackrabbits at bay until the bottom inning when South Dakota State hit 3 home runs, bringing the final score of the first game to 3-0, Jackrabbits up.

The second game of the day found the Bears on top.

UCA came out the gate swinging and maintained a commanding lead.

UCA junior outfielder Tremere Harris began the first inning with a double down the left-field line. Harris’ double would be followed by a single hit by sophomore infielder Kylie Griffin. Redshirt junior infielder Madi Young was walked, loading the bases. 

UCA put their first two points on the scoreboard with a single hit to left field by redshirt junior infielder Mary Kate Brown, allowing Griffin and Harris to run home. The Jayhawks, down by two, finally got their first strike out against redshirt senior infielder/pitcher Jaylee Engelkes. 

One strikeout didn’t stop the Bears’ momentum. By the end of the first inning, the Bears scored two more runs by Young and Brown, bringing the score to 4-0.

The Bears took out all three Kansas players at bat at the bottom of the first, maintaining their established lead going into the second inning. 

At the top of the second inning, the Bears loaded two players —Young and Brown — on the first and second bases. 

The Bears’ third to bat, redshirt junior infielder Morgan Nelson, sent those runners home with a dinged homer to center field, bringing the game’s score to 7-0. 

Kansas saw no runs by the end of the bottom of the second with two strikeouts and one hit grounded to UCA’s pitcher. 

The third inning saw a similar story, UCA scored two more runs, bringing the score to 9-0 UCA. All three of the Jayhawk’s batters failed to take any bases from UCA’s field by the end of the bottom of the third.

The Bears continued to build their lead in the top of the fourth inning with three more runs, bringing the score to 12-0. The Bears denied the Jayhawks any runs in their half of the inning and only allowed one base hit. 

The Softball Bears would end the game by the fifth inning with a single by Engelkes, allowing one more run for UCA by redshirt junior outfielder Jenna Wildeman. 

UCA sealed the deal on the game by allowing no runs for Kansas —ending the game with a score of 13-0.

The Softball Bears will be up at bat against North Florida in a 3-game series on March 18 and March 19 in Farris Field.