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PAGE 8
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Bears' power proves too much for Jayhawks
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
Baylor came into the series finale against Kansas on Sunday with a Big 12 worst: six home runs in the past 46 games. But that didn't stop the Bears from blasting three homers against the Jayhawks, burying them 14-4 to take the rubber match in Hoglund Ballpark.
"It's a tough one to swallow right there," senior Blair Clack said. "We didn't get the start that we wanted, and we're having a lot of growing pains right now."
Sunday's rubber match marked the fourth time since Big 12 play began that the Jayhawks put themselves in a position to win the series in game three. The Jayhawks held the Bears scoreless Friday with a 2-0 victory, but
the Bears retaliated with a 6-3 win in game two on Saturday.
The Bears got on the board first during the second inning with a three-run homer from sophomore Darryn Sheppard over the left-center wall, his first of the year.
Kansas' Tommy Mirabelli earned his 12th RBI of the season while scoring teammate Matt McLaughlin and cutting the Bears' lead to 3-1 after three innings. The Bears answered with another three-run inning during the top of the fourth as they took advantage of a throwing error by Jayhawks' pitcher Sean Rackoski and capped off the inning with two RBIs to make the score 6-1.
Freshman Blake Weiman relieved Rackoski in the top of the fifth after three straight singles produced another run for the Bears. The freshman
southpaw immediately made an impact, earning three straight outs including a strikeout to end the inning.
"The thing I was most pleased with is [Ben] Krauth has been helping him with his pickoff move, and when he picked the guy off first base; that's the best he's shown a move all season."
RITCH PRICE Kansas baseball coach
"[Weiman] had a good job of coming in and locating the ball down, which is what he has to do because he is not firm enough yet to pitch with his fastball," coach Ritch Price said. "He's got to
really locate and then mix in his breaking ball and his changeup."
Weiman did just that and continued his success in the sixth, allowing a hit but making up for it by picking the runner off during the next at-bat.
"The thing I was most pleased with is [Ben] Krauth has been helping him with his pickoff move, and when he picked the guy off first base; that's the best he's shown a move all season." Price said. "It's nice to see our players helping each other out."
The Jayhawks got a spark in the bottom of the sixth when senior Connor McKay started the inning with a base-hit. Fellow senior Dakota Smith followed. with an RBI double as McKay turned on the jets and scored from first base. Smith advanced to third
following a groundout and later showed off his speed while scoring on a wild pitch to cut the Bears' lead to 7-3 with three innings remaining
with three innings remaining The Bears again answered with runs of their own as Sheppard launched another shot over left field to give his team a 9-3 advantage.
In the top of the eighth, the Bears sent another one out of the park, this time off the bat of sophomore Aaron Dodson. The hit added two more runs to the Bears' score giving them 13 runs after eight innings, seven of those coming from home runs.
Beck took a page out of the Bears' book and hit a one-run shot over left field to cut the deficit to 11-4 going into the final inning.
Baylor continued its offensive blast throughout the rest of the game, tacking
on three more runs in the top of the ninth. The Bears finished the game with 14 runs off 14 hits, which was enough to take home the 14-4 victory, as well as the series against the Jayhawks.
The Jayhawks have eight games remaining in the regular season as they try to get the pieces in order to have success in the Big 12 Tournament.
"We're going to have to show how tough we are going into these last two weeks," Beck said. "It's going to take a lot of senior leadership and guys coming up clutch for us to get us to the tournament."
Kansas will travel to Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in two weekday games Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6.
Sporting KC tops Chicago behind Melia's first start
- Edited by Lane Cofas
@HardyNFL
CHRISTIAN HARDY
Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia walked off the Sporting Park field with a huge smile on his face. And why not?
For Melia, the day couldn't have been much better: his team pulled out a late 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire, he started in his first MLS match since exactly one year ago, and he notched the first shutout of his six-year MLS career.
Melia'sfirst touch in a Sporting KC kit came on a forceful
("Melia was) pretty damn close to perfect," midfielder Benny Feilhaber said. "He did everything that we asked for. Came out, saved us a couple times in the back with really good punches, made some pretty good saves."
header over an oncoming Chicago player just outside the box. That first touch set the tone for the rest of the game.
"Getting an early touch helps calm the nerves, but I felt good, I felt confident," Melia said.
"Usually it's with your hands, but he did it with his head," manager Peter Vermes said. "That's when you know it was going to be good.
Melia was credited with three saves as Sporting KC marched to its first victory in nearly a month. After being awarded his first start of the season just days before in a meeting with Vermes, Melia did a lot more than just notch saves: he was active, decisive, distributed well, and never looked rattled. He gave the back line the backbone it has lacked in past weeks with Luis Marin in goal.
“(Melia) has been very sharp in training, he's got a lot of confidence, you could see it tonight,” Vermes said. “(Marin) hasn't been as sharp as maybe he should be. Sometimes it's good for them to get a chance to sit back and watch and almost regroup, and get refocused again. At the same time, that opens up an opportunity for someone else.”
"I've got a soft spot for
After missed chances in the first half and a slow pace for much of the second, the deciding touch finally came in the 75th minute, ten minutes after midfielder Paulo Nagamura was subbed onto the pitch. Jalil Anibaba crossed in a ball from the right side of the box to Nagamura, who took the header and buried it into the top left corner of the net.
Naga[mura]," Vermes said. "He's 5-foot-nothing, and he's going up against a guy who's 6-foot-4, it's his first action of the game and he's trying to win the header. It's just the way that he competes, and it's big for the rest of our players when he's out there."
It was Nagamura's first goal since last September, and the first time he's ever scored off a header, he said. Although his playing time has decreased, he's always been a big boost for Sporting KC when he's on the field.
"I always know my role on the team, and as long as they want me here, I'm going to give 100 percent for the team," Nagamura said. "Maybe it's tougher to be on the sideline and the bench and watching the other guys play, but you have to be smart."
and you have to be reasonable to wait for your chance and do the most when your chance comes."
Sporting Kansas City had a chance at two sure-fire goals in the first half just after the 30th minute, both of which would have been assists for Benny Feilhaber. One came off the head of striker Dom Dwyer, and the other from defender Kevin Ellis.
"He has grande cojones," Vermes said of Feilhaber. "In big moments in games, Benny always winds up being a guy that stands up, he sticks his head up. That's an important thing to have on the team."
For Dwyer, it was the epitome of his season to this point: missed opportunities on the final touch. But it hasn't defined the 24-year-old this season.
"I like the courage that he
Nagamura
has," Vermes said. "As long as he keeps that up and he keeps working, he'll get his goals, no doubt about it."
Sporting Kansas City will be back on the pitch next week to take on DC United in Washington D.C., looking for their second straight win.
Edited by Kayla Schartz
THIS WEEK AT THE BOTTLENHCH
MONDAY, MAY 4
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A Kansas softball player prepares to swing at a pitch on April 24. The Jayhawks took on the Baylor Bears this weekend, losing the three-game series in their last home games of the conference.
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Kansas swept by Baylor in final conference homestand
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek_skillett
The Jayhawk softball team (35-13, 11-4) was swept by the No.14 Baylor Bears this weekend in the final home series of conference play for the season.
The Jayhawks began the weekend by nearly coming back against the Bears on Friday. Freshman Daniella Chavez stepped up to the plate with two outs in the final inning with two runners on base. Chavez struck out to end the game, and Kansas lost 4-2.
"I thought we fought hard until the end and it was good to see them answer right away to start the game," coach Megan Smith said after Friday's game, according to a University release. "I think what got us tonight was that our at-bats the second time around wasn't as good."
Senior Chanin Naudin led the Jayhawks with two hits Friday night. Chavez led the team with two RBIs Friday.
Saturday was senior day for the four Kansas seniors: infielders Maddie Stein and Naudin, as well as pitchers Beth Wilson and Alicia Pille.
Unfortunately, that is not what happened, and the Jayhawks lost 7-0 Sunday. It was potentially the last game in Arrocha Ballpark this season. The Jayhawks
"There was definitely a lack of focus at the beginning of the game and we were offensively stagnant again," Smith said. "We have to come out [Sunday] and do a better job."
In the game, Baylor secured the 6-1 victory by scoring early and often, racking up four runs on six hits in the first two innings. Freshman Jessie Roane led the Jayhawks with two hits and one RBI.
surrendered six runs in the final two innings, securing the loss.
"I think that we gave some free bases away and they made some good adjustments," Smith said. "Pille couldn't catch a break there in the end. They were a good offensive team that made adjustments there at the end.
Pille got the start at pitcher for the Jayhawks on Sunday, recording six strikeouts while allowing 10 hits and seven scores
Junior Briana Evans and sophomore Taylor McElhaney each recorded one hit apiece for the Jayhawks. They were the only two hits for the Jayhawks on Sunday.
Up next, the Jayhawks will finish out the regular season with a weekend series at Iowa State May 8-10 before learning their fate in the NCAA tournament.
— Edited by Samantha Darling
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