KANSAS HANDS OTAHKS 5-1 LOSS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament Thursday night, Southeast Missouri's softball team squandered early scoring opportunities and dropped a 5-1 decision to Kansas.

Kansas, the No. 2 seed, banged out nine hits off two Southeast pitchers in the first round of the double-elimination Region 2 Tournament at Hillenbrand Stadium.

The Jayhawks (30-28) advanced to tonight's winner's bracket game against No. 3 Maryland, while No. 5 Southeast (30-16) will face No. 6 East Carolina (50-19) in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. today.

Top-seeded Arizona defeated East Carolina ?-?.

Kansas chose not to start ace Sarah Workman against Southeast, instead going with Melaine DeWinter.

Southeast coach Lana Richmond said her team's strategy was to make Kansas' strategy backfire by getting to DeWinter at the outset. The Otahkians managed to put DeWinter on the ropes with seven hits in the first five innings, but managed just a fifth-inning run.

"We put people on base, but we failed to execute in key positions," said Richmond, whose team had eight hits overall. "I felt we could of scored two quick runs early and that would of put the pressure on them. We failed to score in the first two innings when we had numerous opportunities."

In the first and second innings Southeast stranded five runners, primarily due to failed sacrifice attempts in each inning.

The Otahkians had two hits in the first and three in the second, but failed to score. In the second, Anne Trieb and Emmy Kisaka opened the inning with singles. After Michelle Frank struck out trying to bunt, Joanna Hicks singled to load the bases.

DeWinter retired the next two batters to escape the jam.

Kansas then scored three runs in the third on five hits, chasing starter Debbie Schmelz in the process. Shannon Stanwix had an RBI double in the inning and Katie Malone and Christi Musser each had RBI singles.

The Jayhawks added an unearned run in the fourth off Christine Englehardt for a 4-0 lead.

Southeast finally broke through in the fifth on an RBI single by Jenny Oermann, but Workman entered the game in the sixth and pitched two innings of one-hit relief.

Ricki DeArmon and Oermann both went 2-for-4 for Southeast.

Schmelz gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out one in 2 2-3 innings. All three runs she allowed were earned.

Englehardt surrendered two unearned runs in 3 1-3 innings. She allowed two hits, struck out three and walked one.

Malone and Amy Hulse each had two hits for Kansas.

Southeast committed four errors in the game.

"Defensively we didn't play sharp, but we got away with some of the errors," said Richmond.