photo by: Michael Sudhalter/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas sophomore outfielder Ava Wallace hits a walk-off single in the eighth inning of an NCAA regional game against Michigan on Friday, May 15, 2026, at Love's Field in Norman, Okla.

NORMAN, Okla. — A few moments before Kansas’ actual walk-off winner against Michigan on Friday came a bit of a misfire.

When senior right fielder Aynslee Linduff sent a ball down the line in left field with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the KU dugout was on the verge of celebrating its apparent victory.

Then it turned out, in a matter of seconds, that the line drive was not in fact down the line but over the line for a foul ball. Linduff promptly popped out, meaning another Jayhawk would have to be the hero.

“I loved it,” KU pitcher Lila Partridge said. “I think that’s the game of softball. And it’s like the ball knows … It’s loving the aspect of you can fail, but the person behind you will succeed.”

The person behind Linduff turned out to be sophomore left fielder Ava Wallace, whose single to left-center field scored Hailey Cripe to give KU its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2015 by a score of 1-0.

“It’s exciting,” KU coach Jennifer McFalls said. “This is what postseason’s about, you know? I mean, you got to play every pitch, every single inning.”

Partridge, a freshman from Petaluma, California, who had previously gone seven innings just once in her career, went the full eight on Friday for a complete-game shutout, allowing six hits and a walk with three strikeouts. McFalls said she never thought about taking her out.

“They trust her,” McFalls said. “She’s just so composed and she’s so dialed in and she just competes. She competes every single inning on every single pitch, and that’s what we love most. That’s all we expect out of our pitching staff.”

Michigan starter Gabby Ellis was nearly as effective but paid the price for just one run allowed in 7 1/3 innings on KU’s six hits.

“Both teams played such a great, clean game,” McFalls said. “It was a very heavy defensive game and pitching game for both sides, and came down to the wire. So, just so proud of this team and their grit and just commitment to just finishing.”

The Jayhawks will now remain in the winners’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament at Love’s Field, where they will face host Oklahoma at 2 p.m. on Saturday. KU has lost 25 straight matchups with the Sooners. If it wins, it will advance to Sunday; if it loses, it will play an elimination game at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Partridge sent down the Wolverines in order in the first inning, including one-pitch at-bats for Lauren Putz and Ella Stephenson. The Jayhawks got a one-out base hit from Anna Soles, but Putz made a diving catch to prevent a base hit from Cripe and Ella Boyer struck out looking on a full count.

Partridge worked around a pair of two-out singles in the second and another one in the third. KU had Presley Limbaugh in scoring position after a stolen base with two outs in the bottom of the third, but Cripe grounded out to third base.

Boyer battled her way to a 10-pitch leadoff walk in the fourth, which the Jayhawks followed with two quick popouts. A stolen base by pinch runner Madi Hays was overturned upon replay when Michigan successfully challenged that she had left early, ending the inning.

After Partridge struck out the next two Wolverines she saw, the order turned over and Michigan’s leadoff hitter Indiana Langford earned a hard-fought walk. Putz then swung at the first pitch she saw and sent it to the wall in left field, where Wallace made a leaping catch to prevent an extra-base hit and send the Jayhawks to the bottom of the fifth inning.

“I was having a little trouble with that wall yesterday catching balls in the wind and everything,” Wallace said. “I just really thought about that and I was like, ‘I’m not going to make that same mistake like I did in practice, and really have Lila’s back on that, and really just play the wind and everything.’ And I just think it was like a big momentum shifter with that catch for us to keep it in the game.”

Ellis, for her part, hit September Flanagan and then allowed a two-out single up the middle to Limbaugh, setting up Soles in a big spot. Soles quickly fell behind 0-2, took a pair of high pitches for balls, but then went down looking.

Michigan catcher Lilly Vallimont singled on a two-out line drive that bounced off Partridge, but Madi Ramey, who had reached base in each of her prior two at-bats, grounded out to Cripe.

After Ellis got through the sixth unscathed, Partridge returned for a seventh inning for just the second time in her career to face the bottom of the Wolverines’ lineup. The first two batters yielded first-pitch groundouts, the second on an impressive snag and throw across the diamond by Kadence Stafford at third base.

“I think those are the plays that just make pitchers’ hearts,” Partridge said of that effort and Wallace’s catch. “LIke, you are working your butt off out there, trying to get everything there for your team and seeing that they have your backs on those tough plays as well is just — it’s awesome.”

Michigan then brought in two-way standout Erin Hoehn as a pinch hitter, but she flied out to right-center field.

Ellis’s 98th pitch resulted in a single for Wallace, and pinch runner Audri Youngblood reached second on Flanagan’s sacrifice bunt. After a lengthy mound visit, Ellis stayed in to pitch to Stafford, whom she hit with a pitch to bring up Limbaugh at the top of the lineup.

Limbaugh hit a hard ground ball to second base, advancing both runners but resulting in the second out. Soles grounded out as well to send the game to extra innings.

Putz singled with one out in the eighth, but the next two batters popped out.

Cripe walked to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and Boyer sent a double to the wall. McFalls held Cripe at third. Michigan’s throw into the infield was errant, but not so much so that Cripe could come home for the win.

Ellis intentionally walked Campbell Bagshaw to load the bases for Linduff, who popped out (after a narrow miss).

Wallace was next, and she sent a 1-2 pitch to the gap in left-center field to win it. She said that prior to the at-bat she had spoken to McFalls, who warned her, “You better get your foot down and be ready for this pitch inside.”

“I kind of approached it with the mindset (that) all I have to do is make contact,” Wallace said. “Just put the ball in play, you can let the rest work out and everything. I think even when I was down 2-1, I still had that mindset, I’m going to be selective with the pitches and just get my swing off when she messes up.”

And now OU awaits.

“We’re going to go out there, we’re going to show up, we’re going to put our best onto that field,” Partridge said, “and as long as we have fun and we compete, I think it’s going to be a really interesting game.”

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