THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
PAGE 7
Senior pitcher Colin Toalson prepares to relieve fellow junior pitcher Drew Morovick on March 11, 2014 against Oral Roberts. The Jayhawks lost in Phoenix Tuesday night against the Grand Canyon Lopes, 12-4.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Jayhawks can't hang onto lead, lose 12-4 in Phoenix
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
The Jayhawks were able to gain an early lead against the Grand Canyon 'Lopes, but it would not last, as the team would drop the first game of the midweek series 12-4.
Kansas senior Dakota Smith put the Jayhawks on the board early with a two RBI single with the bases loaded, scoring
Colby Wright and Matt McLaughlin.
The first inning would not belong to the Jayhawks, however, as Grand Canyon's sophomore outfielder Brandon Smith hit a three run shot to left center, putting his squad up to end the first.
The Jayhawks' offense responded right away with three more hits in the top of
the second, adding to their four from the first. Junior Colby Wright contributed to that tally with a double to the outfield scoring two for the Jayhawks and putting them up 4-3.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, there was little to be positive about from there.
plate as they scored nine more runs while giving up only one hit for the rest of the game. Grand Canyon's freshman pitcher Jake Repavich chalked up his third win of the season putting him at 3-0 for the year. Freshman Mick Vorhof would earn the save for the 'Lopes, pitching the last four innings and giving up no runs.
The 'Lopes would control the game on the mound and at the
The Jayhawks' bats couldn't
keep it going after the second inning with eight total hits, seven being in the first two innings. Wright was the Jayhawks' best performer at the plate for the night with two hits and two RBT's in three at-bats. Wright also added to his current NCAA lead after being hit by a pitch for the eighth time this season in just 12 games.
After a shaky start in Phoenix, the Jayhawks will look to repeat the outcome of last year's series with Grand Canyon, which ended in a split. The Jayhawks will return to Brazell Stadium at 3:30 p.m. for the final game of the midweek series.
Edited by Garrett Long
Mason seals victory over West Virginia
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU
Cool, calm, collected: Frank Mason III wins win over West Virginia
Down 57-49 with less than two-minutes to go, the Jayhawks appeared to be on their way to losing their final home game of the season, while missing out on a chance to clinch the Big 12 title outright at home.
Brannen Greene stepped up to the line and knocked down a couple of free throws, and then Jamari Traylor followed with a layup to cut the West Virginia lead to four. However, the Jayhawks still needed to make up the rest of the margin, and time was running out.
Enter Frank Mason III.
The sophomore from
Petersburg, Virginia rattled off back-to-back baskets on consecutive possessions, and when the second half had finally come to a close, the Jayhawks had managed to tie the game at 59. At that point, Mason had scored 11 points, but wasn't even close to being finished.
"I felt like nobody [could] stay in front of me," Mason said. "Every time I had the ball, I could make something positive happen."
Mason would rattle off eight more points, accounting for just under 50-percent of the team's scoring in the extra period, despite having played a game-high 42 minutes. The Jayhawks would go on to win 76-69, despite trailing at one point by 18 points.
After the game, Kansas
coach Bill Self couldn't help but chuckle when asked about his point guard's performance down the stretch, despite playing so many minutes.
Mason finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds, but to him, it wasn't at all about the stats. Only one thing was on his mind: Winning.
Mason also said that he drew inspiration from the 2008 National Championship team that won the title despite being down nine points with less than two minutes left. He said the "little things like that" were
"We couldn't get anything to fall; guys were missing threes," Mason said. "Not once did I think [we would lose]. We kept believing in each other."
"He's in great shape," Self said with a smile.
With the win, the Jayhawks secured the Big 12 title outright, but the game held a little extra meaning in Mason's mind, for a couple of reasons. With it being the final home game of the year, the Jayhawks had one last chance to get a win for senior Christian Garrett, but Mason added that the win was for even more than just the senior.
what let the team know that they could make a run, and he certainly played like it down the stretch.
"We wanted to do it for [Christian], but also for the program [and] for the fans," Mason said. "We made it happen."
Edited by Vicky Diaz Camacho
Junior Briana Evans earns Big 12 Player of the Week Honors
Kansas junior outfielder Briana Evans earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Tuesday. Evans is the second Jayhawk to earn this honor after senior pitcher Alicia Pille was awarded the accolade last week.
This is Evans' first Big 12 weekly honor of her Kansas career.
19 runs scored.
In the UNF Home Tournament last weekend, Evans tied for the team lead with six hits and led the No. 25 Jayhawks with four runs scored. Her performance helped the team reach a 17-1 record with wins over Stony Brook, North Florida and Siena in Jacksonville, Fla. Evans recorded a .600 batting average, added three walks and stole two bases last weekend.
This was not the only honor the Jayhawks softball team earned on Tuesday. After breaking into some national Top 25 polls last week for the first time since 2011, the Jayhawks found their way onto both major national polls on Tuesday. Kansas now holds a No. 25 ranking in the ESPN Top 25 poll, as well as a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today/Coaches poll.
As Kansas' leadoff hitter this season, Evans led the Jayhawks with a .424 batting average this season and leads the team with
The Jayhawks will be back in action in the Stetson Tournament in Deand, Fla., this weekend, where they will face off against La Salle, Chattanooga and Stetson.
Derek Skillett
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