MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASEBALL
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I'm claiming that Kansas City is a Big 12 city."
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little after the Big 12 conference extended its deal with the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. for men's basketball tournament
Source: Associated Press
FACT OF THE DAY
Oklahoma State has the highest amount of overall NCAA team championships out of Big 12 universities (50), more than Iowa State (13), Texas A&M (13), Kansas (10), Baylor (3), Missouri (2) and Texas Tech (1) combined.
Source: Big12sports.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Which former KU.men's basketball player has made the most NBA 3-pointers?
A: Paul Pierce is ninth in the NBA with 1,680 3-pointers as of June 4, 2012.
Source: NBA.com
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
First baseman Jake Morasco swings at an Aggie pitch during the Big 12 tournament. The Jayhawks won against Texas A&M to set up a semifinal Border Showdown with Mizzou
SEASON OVER
MAX LUSH
mlush@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball season came to a crushing end Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City. Missouri beat the Jayhawks using the mercy rule in the eighth inning, winning 12-2.
Having used all of their starting pitchers in the Big 12 tournament's first three days, the Jayhawks turned to their normal closer, Tanner Ponne to start the game.
"I think we came up a little short
allowed three runs (two earned)
on five hits.
Kansas cut into Missouri's 2-0 lead in the third inning when Tucker Tharp blasted a solo home run to left field. The shot made the game 2-1.
on the mound today," coach Ritch Price said. "It was our fourth game and their third game, and that's why you want to stay in the winner's bracket."
But the problem all day for the Jayhawks was the "shut-down inning." Jakubov couldn't shut down the Tigers in the bottom half of the third inning, allowing two runs to make the game 4-1.
Tharp drove in another run in the fourth inning with an RBI single to center field.
Missouri jumped on Poppe early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Poppe made it through less than two innings of work, struggling to find the zone and walking four of the nine batters he faced.
Jordan Jakubov relieved Poppe in the second inning. Jakubov pitched the most of any Jayhawk pitcher on the day: 3.0 innings. He
Missouri blew the game open, scoring four runs in the sixth inning,' thanks to a bases-loaded, base-clearing double. They added another three runs in the eighth inning to get to 10 runs and end the game.
Kansas finished its season 24-33. The Jayhawks will look to build off their strong season finish next year as their young players mature.
—Edited by Megan Hinman
FINAL SHOWDOWN
Dramatic end to border rivalry
MAX LUSH mlush@kansan.com
VIRAJ AMIN
vamin@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball team lost the last game of the final Border Showdown contest, but the Jayhawks can take solace in knowing they took the series from archival Missouri (28-26, 10-14), earning a trip to the Big 12 tournament.
in the only run of the game.
Sophomore pitcher Frank Duncan shutout the Tigers in game one of the series on May 17 by a score of 1.0. Freshman outfielder Michael Suit hit an RBI double that drove
Benjamin went 7.3 innings allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three. Freshman outfielder Michael Suiter was clutch for the Jayhawks going 2 for 4 on the evening with a pair of two-out RBIs.
One day later, the Jayhawks won game two 6-3 with a solid outing by freshman pitcher Wes Benjamin.
That victory and Texas Tech's loss to K-State the same day clinched a spot in the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City for the Jayhawks.
But the Tigers flipped the script on May 19, winning the third game of the series 6-3.
Kansas fell behind early that game as junior pitcher Thomas Taylor gave up two runs in the first and third innings. Taylor (4-7) would go on and take the loss on the afternoon, tossing 5.1 innings while allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits and two walks. He also struck out three batters.
The Jayhawks cut into the Tigers' lead in the fifth inning, plating all of their three runs in the inning. Freshman outfielder Michael Suiter led off the inning with his fourth homer of the season. Junior shortstop Kevin Kuntz grounded into an RBI fielder's choice and senior catcher James Stanfield hit an RBI
With the score 4-3, the Jayhawks would never get closer to the Tigers. Missouri tacked on a run in the sixth inning and another in the seventh.
double in the inning.
The game marked Kansas' regular season finale and senior day. Eight senior Jayhawks were honored before the pitch for their contributions to the team. Stanfield and senior first baseman Jake Marasco combined for three hits, a run and an RBI.
Despite losing the game, Kansas locked into the number seven seed in this week's Big 12 tournament by way of a Kansas State loss.
—Edited by Vikaas Shanker
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