PROVO -- In spite of a three-hit performance by Summer Tobias for BYU in the first game of the Provo Regional of the NCAA women's softball tournament Thursday, the Cougars fell to Kansas 3-0.

Summer Tobias was perfect through the first three innings while picking up two strikeouts. On the afternoon the Cougar hurler allowed just three runs, only one earned, on three hits while striking out four.

"Summer threw her heart out," said BYU Coach Gordan Eakin. "Runs are hard to come by in tournament play. What wins this at this level is pitching and defense. I'm not going to blame it on defense. We'll be back tomorrow, we'll play better tomorrow."

The performance might have been enough for BYU (34-25) had Jayhawk pitcher Kassie Humphreys not thrown a masterpiece of her own. In seven complete innings of work the Kansas (43-20) right-hander chopped up the powerful Cougar lineup, allowing no runs on just one hit while striking out 11. Humphreys did give up four walks, including three alone in the second frame.

"We had chances to score," said Coach Eakin after the game. "You have to give Humphreys credit, she threw an incredible game. She's hot right now. She shut down the Big 12 in their conference tournament."

Coach Eakin said that plays that are usually made become harder to make at the tournament level. He said that he was disappointed mostly because he felt this was a game that the Cougars could have won.

After Ashlyn Russell became the Cougars first runner of the game in the top of the second, BYU loaded up the bases for number nine hitter Tracee Hoch, drawing three walks off Humphreys. The Cougars weren't able to convert as they stranded three.

Andrea Ramirez led off the top of the third for the Cougars with a single, their only hit, just over the head of Kansas first baseman Nicole Washburn. A sacrifice by Ianeta Le`i moved Ramirez over to second before she run for by Krystle Chamberlain.

The Jayhawks finally broke through against Tobias in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring Val Chapple from third. Chapple led off the frame with Kansas' first hit before moving around the bases on an error and a fielder's choice. The Jayhawks then added two more runs on a Heather Stanley RBI single to make the score 3-0 through four complete.

"After it happened, I don't think about it, I just focus on the next batter," said Tobias when asked what was going through her head in the decisive three-run inning.

The Cougars gave the Jayhawks some trouble in the top of the sixth when Ianeta Le`i led off the inning by reaching on an error by second baseman Jessica Moppin. However, one batter later two Cougars were retired on a three-six-four double play and the Cougars weren't able to get any runs on the board as the score remained 3-0 in favor of the girls from Kansas.

Tobias started off the sixth inning with her fourth strikeout, before allowing a single up the middle of the infield to Destiny Frankenstein. The BYU defense helped her out, as Ramirez started a nifty double play, catching a line drive and throwing to first to get the retreating runner.

With their chances for victory dwindling in the top of the seventh, designated player Daniella Urincho fouled off a couple of pitches from Humphreys before reaching base on an error by Frankenstein. Jodi Norton follwed with a walk to give the Cougars two runners with an out, but that was all the Cougars would manage as Humphreys struck out two straight BYU hitters to end the game emphatically.

Kansas will meet the winner of Thursday's 7 p.m. match-up between Washington and Southern Utah at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The loser of the game will play BYU at 4 p.m.

2006 Kansas Softball
BYU at #24 Kansas
May 18, 2006 at Provo, Utah (Miller Field)
BYU 0 (42-21)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
RAMIREZ ss...............  4  0  1  0   0  2  2  3   2
 CHAMBERLAIN pr..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
SNOW cf..................  3  0  0  0   0  2  2  0   0
LE`I 1b..................  3  0  0  0   0  1  8  0   0
RUSSELL lf/dh............  2  0  0  0   1  0  0  0   1
 PLATT pr................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
PARAMORE rf..............  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
URINCHO dh/lf............  2  0  0  0   1  1  0  0   0
 ANDERSON pr.............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
NORTON 3b................  1  0  0  0   2  1  0  2   0
NIX c....................  1  0  0  0   1  0  4  0   1
 GONZALES ph.............  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
HOCH 2b..................  2  0  0  0   0  1  2  1   3
 WHITELEY ph.............  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
TOBIAS p.................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  3   0
Totals................... 22  0  1  0   5 11 18  9   7
Kansas 3 (35-24)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Chapple, Val 3b..........  3  1  1  0   0  0  0  0   0
Crisosto, Stevie cf......  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   1
Settlemier, Serena dh....  3  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
 Goodrich, Ashley ph.....  0  1  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Frankenstein,Destiny ss..  3  1  1  1   0  0  1  1   0
Moppin, Jessica 2b.......  3  0  0  0   0  0  3  1   0
Stanley, Heather rf......  2  0  1  2   0  1  0  0   0
Fierros, Nettie lf.......  2  0  0  0   0  1  1  0   1
 Wilson, Betsy lf........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Humphreys, Kassie p......  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Washburn, Nicole 1b......  2  0  0  0   0  1  5  1   0
Craner, Tiffany c........  0  0  0  0   0  0 11  1   0
Totals................... 22  3  3  3   0  4 21  5   2
Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
BYU................. 000 000 0 -  0  1  2
Kansas.............. 000 300 X -  3  3  2
-----------------------------------------
E - RAMIREZ 2; Frankenstein; Moppin. DP - BY 1; KU 1. LOB - BY 7; KU 2. SH -
PARAMORE; Crisosto.
BYU                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
TOBIAS..............  6.0  3  3  0  0  4 22 23
Kansas                 IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Humphreys, Kassie...  7.0  1  0  0  5 11 22 28
Win - Humphreys (18-16).  Loss - TOBIAS (25-12).  Save - None.
Umpires - HP: Doug Zimmerman  1B: Ed Rado  3B: Willie Neumann
Start: 4 p.m.   Time: 1:45   Attendance: 400

PROVO -- Softball fans get ready. BYU is one of 16 regional hosts in the NCAA Women's College World Series, and fans will want to get their tickets early.

The four teams playing in Provo this weekend will be BYU's in-state rival Southern Utah, Big 12 Conference winner Kansas, No. 14 Washington, and the hometown Cougars.

Fans who want to get their tickets early need call the BYU ticket office at 801-422-BYU1 or 800-322-BYU1 or visit the ticket office at the Marriot Center. No tickets will be available online. Tickets will also be on sale at the Miller Field Box Office one hour prior to each game.

Session passes are $15 adults, $10 for students and adults over 60 and $6 for children. Single game tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for student and adults over 60 and $2 for children.

The tournament begins on Thursday at 4 p.m. with the hometown Cougars facing off against Kansas at Gail Miller Field. No. 14 Washington and SUU play that evening at 7 p.m. Friday's games will be held at 1:30, 4, and 7 p.m with the championship game on Saturday at noon.

Cougar fans will not want to miss this opportunity to see their team in the most exciting games of the season thus far. BYU's head softball coach Gordon Eakin is confident that the Cougars will do well this weekend.

"I'm not surprised we got a bid," Eakin said. "The exciting part was to see that we host. It's huge for BYU softball."

Some of the nation's top players will fight to keep their World Series hopes alive. Fans will see the nation's triples leader, SUU's Marci Pratt, and Kansas' Serena Settlemier, who ranks second in homeruns. Danielle Lawrie and Caitlin Noble, two of the nation's best pitchers, will take the mound for Washington, and the nation's RBI leader, Ianta Le'I, will try to lead the Cougars to the next round.

Live video streaming will be available for all BYU games. To access the live video, visit the softball schedule page of www.byucougars.com and click on the "Live Audio" link.

For a full version of this weeks' release, click on the link at the top of the story.