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THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014
SOFTBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
AMIE JUST/KANSAN
Freshman catcher Harli Ridling hands the ball off to junior pitcher Alicia Pille after Ridling caught a foul ball in a game against Texas Tech on April 18. The Jayhawks lost to the Raiders 7-9.
Jayhawks gear up for game against Longhorns
As the regular season for softball nears the end, Kansas goes on the road for one last time. The Jayhawks are taking on the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas, at McCombs Field May 2-4. All three games of the series will be aired on the Longhorn Television Network.
Texas leads the all-time series 26-11. Kansas started the series with a win, defeating the Longhorns 3-0. As of late, the series has been lopsided. Kansas has lost 13 straight games against Texas. The last time the Jayhawks
defeated the Longhorns was in 2008. On the road, Kansas hasn't fared well. Kansas has a 1-12 record in Austin, with its win going back to 2007.
Texas' offensive unit leads the Big 12 in several different categories. The Longhorns sit at the top of the conference with a .349 batting average. The team leader, senior outfieldier Brejae Washington, is hitting a .452 on 66 hits and 17 RBI. She also has stolen 31 bases, only unsuccessfully stealing three. Sophomore utility Lindsey Stephens has recorded 15 home runs and is tied for first in the conference with triples. Washington, Stephens and Texas' senior infielder Taylor Thom all
have recorded four.
nansas' sophomore infielder Chaley Brickey leads the Jayhawks in five offensive categories, despite her underclassman status. She has the team high batting average at .381. She also has been walked 37 times this season, the new single-season record for Kansas. Her slugging percentage is .679, and on her base percentage is .517. She 10 home runs on the season and has scored 37 runs.
Kansas is looking to break the 13-game losing streak and better its record at McCombs Field. First pitch is scheduled for May 2 at 7 p.m.
Amie Just
Class of 2014
Celebrate Graduation with the KU Alumni Association!
Grad Grill Noon-4 p.m. Stop Day, Friday May 9 Adams Alumni Center Join us for FREE Bigg's BBQ and music on Stop Day, as our way of saying"Congratulations on your graduation!" All graduating students'are invited.
Commencement Open House Noon-3 p.m.
Commencement Day, Sunday May 18
Noon-3 p.m.
Stop by the Adams Alumni Center on Commencement Day for a light snack and beverage! The entire family is welcome.
Visit www.kualumni.org to learn more about what the KU Alumni Association has to offer you. Questions? Call 785-864-4760.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The University of Kansas
NHL
Rangers top Flyers in Game 7,advance to face Pens
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Daniel Carcillo provided the burst of energy the New York Rangers were counting on in Game 7. The big goal was quite a bonus.
Carcillo was added to the lineup, after he sat out the previous two games, and the move paid instant dividends. He turned a crisp pass into his second goal of the series at 3:06 of the middle frame.
Carcillo gave the Rangers lead with the first of their two second-period goals, and Henrik Lundqvist did just enough to hold off the Philadelphia Flyers and send New York into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 2-1 win on Wednesday night.
"When you're in, you try to do something to stay in, whether it be offensively or bring a lot of energy," Carcillo said. "That's just what I was trying to do every time I was in this series."
Benoit Pouliot stretched the Rangers' lead to 2-0, and Lundqvist made it stand up with a 26-save effort one night after New York was beaten 5-2 in Philadelphia to set up the decisive Game 7.
"No one was jittery. We all knew what to do," Carcillo said. "On this team, no one was shying away from the big stage."
Lundqvist watched the third period of Game 6 from the bench, and started his preparation then for Wednesday.
"Coming home last night, I was so disappointed," said Lundqvist, who improved to 4-1 in Game 7s. "But at the same time, I was mad because we couldn't come up with a better performance. To play a
"We played a really strong series. I think we were the better team. We pushed the pace almost every game. We definitely earned this one."
Game 7 at home and to win, that was the inspiration.
The Rangers knocked out the Flyers about 24 hours after being pushed to the limit, improving to 6-0 in Game 7s at Madison Square Garden. New York will face another Metropolitan Division rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the next round starting on Friday.
No team won consecutive games in the series. The Rangers, who finished two points ahead of Philadelphia during the regular season, made the most of their home-ice advantage by taking three of four in the Garden.
Lundqvist allowed only a third-period goal to Jason Akeson at 4:32. He protected the one-goal lead at 7:25 when he made an awkward save against Flyers captain Claude Giroux.
Carcillo scored the all-important first goal off a picture-perfect pass from Mats
The Rangers mobbed Lundqvist after the final buzzer, while the Flyers consoled their goalie, Steve Mason.
"Game 7, lose 2-1, it doesn't get any closer than that," Giroux said. "We did a good job staying in the battle. We have a lot of character in this room, and for a young team I think it's great. This is only going to make us stronger."
Mason, who didn't start until Game 4 because of a concussion he admitted to after the game Wednesday, was sharp in stopping 31 shots. He just couldn't will his club to a complete comeback after the Flyers fell into a 3-2 series hole.
Zuccarello.
Zuccarello threaded the puck with a behind-the-back feed from near the right circle between the legs of Flyers defensemen Andrew MacDonald and Braydon Coburn to Carcillo for the redirection.
"Usually those are the toughest ones to pick up. I missed one in Game 4 backdoor," Carcillo said. "To track it through two sets of legs and then to get decent wood on it and see it go in, is a good feeling."
Carcillo played for just the third time and the first at home. He had come out of the penalty box less than a minute earlier after serving a penalty for too many men on the ice.
The Rangers nearly doubled the lead later in the frame when they mounted a flurry of pressure, only to be stymied by Mason and done in by errant whacks at the puck.
But Philadelphia couldn't capitalize on that or on two power plays in the period in which the Flyers were outshot 18-5.
"We didn't initiate enough and play with enough aggressiveness as a team." Flyers coach Craig Berube said. "Our game overall, we didn't play our best hockey."
New York took a 2-0 lead with 8:14 left in the second when Pouliot also turned a sharp pass into his second of the series.
Derick Brassard sent the puck from the right-wing boards into the slot. Pouliot streaked down the middle, snared the puck, and steered it past Mason to send the once-nervous crowd into a towelwaving frenzy.
MLB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marlins pummel Harang to defeat Braves 9-3
MIAMI — Nathan Eowaldi pitched seven innings and the Miami Marlins scored nine runs off NL ERA leader Aaron Harang to beat the Atlanta Braves 9-3 Wednesday.
Harang (3-2) gave up 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings, and his ERA rose from 0.85 to 2.97. The Marlins tied a season high with 15 hits, including seven for extra bases.
Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer, and Christian Yelich added his first home run of the year. The homers were the first allowed by Harang this year.
Miami's 9-0 lead after five innings was a rare luxury for Eovaldi (2-1), who has the lowest career run support among active major-league starters. The right-hander allowed three hits and one run
to lower his ERA to 2.58
Casey McGehee had three hits and Adeiny Hechavarria legged out a double and a triple for the last-place Marlins, who have outscored the NL East leaders 18-3 in the first two games of their series. The Marlins will sweep a series from Atlanta for the first time since 2009 if they can beat Ervin Santana on Thursday.
The Marlins are batting .307 in their spacious ballpark, where they're 11-4 to lead the majors in home victories. They're batting .215 on the road, where they're 2-10.
The Braves totaled six hits, including Justin Upton's eighth homer.
Harang had allowed a total of three runs in his first five starts, but the Marlins scored four against him with four
consecutive hits to start the second inning, Garrett Jones singled home the first run, and Ozuna followed with his fourth homer.
Hechavarria tripled and Yelich hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 7-0.
The nine runs allowed by Harang matched his career high. He fell to 5-5 in 15 starts against the Marlins with an ARA of 6.54.
Eovaldi allowed a double by Jason Heyward to start the game, then held the Braves hitless until the sixth.
Notes: Braves RHP Gavin Floyd is ready to come off the disabled list after recovering from elbow surgery a year ago, but manager Fredi Gonzalez was noncommittal regarding how he will be used. Floyd isn't scheduled to start this week.
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