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MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SOFTBALL
Longhorns prove too powerful for Jayhawks
Infielder Mariah Montgomery attempts to bunt in the bottom of the third with runners on first and second. Montgomery would end up walking to first to load up the bases. The Jayhawks lost both games in the double header against the Texas Longhorns on Friday night and were 0-3 in the overall series against Texas this weekend.
ALEC TILSON
atiison@kansan.com
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
GAME ONE
The Kansas softball team was six outs away from defeating No. 5 Texas in the second of its three-game series this weekend, but the Longhorns' potent offense combined with a defensive error spoiled a potential victory.
Kansas (26-15, 3-12) posted an impressive offensive weekend, scoring 14 runs and matching Texas (35-5, 9-3) with 23 hits, but the Longhorns overpowered Kansas and swept the Jayhawks at Arrocha Ballpark.
Kansas never mounted a serious threat to Texas after freshman infielder Chanin Naudin batted in a run in the first inning to give the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead.
Texas' senior infielder Nadia Taylor hit her first of two home runs in the game to lead off the top of the second, an impressive opposite field shot, and helped Texas take a 3-1 lead.
"I think in some situations we just get too passive," said senior outfielder Liz Kocon. "We need to go out there and attack the pitches we can attack."
Kansas' junior pitcher Morgan Druhan kept KU within striking distance, trailing 4-1 through five innings, despite walking 10 batters on 175 pitches.
Then Texas' offense exploded for four runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 12-1 lead.
Kansas would score two in the bottom of the seventh when freshman catcher Lexi Bryant roped a double to left center, but the damage was done and Kansas lost 12-3.
GAME TWO
This was the one Kansas could taste. This was the one that got away.
Kansas held a 5-4 lead entering the top of the sixth, two innings from defeating a top team in the
country and, perhaps, a season-defining victory.
KU battled back from a three-run first inning deficit, outhit the Big 12's leading offensive team and appeared to control the momentum.
Then, the game began to unravel.
Texas' senior infielder Lexy Bennett, who leads the conference with a .427 batting average, led off the sixth by lining a solo home run to center field and tying the game at five.
"It was a pitch that missed its spot," coach Megan Smith said. "We were trying to pitch around her a little bit and it hung. She's a
great hitter; give her credit."
Hull came back with a one-out
The Longhorns' next two batters reached base and advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, but Kansas' freshman pitcher Alicia Pille retired the next two batters.
The mishap seemed out of character for Hull, who hadn't committed an error all season entering the weekend.
With two outs, Texas' sophomore Mandy Ogle lined a sharp single to junior outfielder Maggie Hull, who mishandled the ball, allowing the second runner to score unearned and giving Texas a 7-5 lead.
double to the gap in right in the bottom half of the inning, but Kansas couldn't rally, falling to Texas 7-5.
Still, Smith was pleased with the team's effort.
"We feel good about the fight we have," Smith said. "We were right there with them fighting."
GAME THREE
Naudin answered in the bottom half, squeezing a homerun inside the foul pole in left field as it became apparent the 20-plus
Texas' junior infielder Taylor Hoagland, the school's all-time home run leader, homered on the first pitch of the game.
mph winds would carry most fly balls.
Texas scored its second run on a throwing error by Bryant and took a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning, before putting up a sevenspot and taking a 10-1 lead.
Up against the run-rule, Kansas rallied in the bottom half and put up five runs of its own on Texas' pitcher Blair Luna. Luna entered the series with a 1.84 ERA and left with a 2.51.
"Offensively we were great," Hull said. "To come out against one of the best pitching staffs in the nation and put up that many hits consistently, then instead of ending it in five we
kept fighting."
Texas went on to win 13-6, but only seven of those runs were earned. Again, several balls got away from the Jayhawks, which committed three errors.
"In the Big 12 you can't make defensive errors," Hull said. "We made too many and that cost us two games."
— Edited by Nadia Imafidon
Lakers win fourth-straight game without Kobe
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Andrew Bynum had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Pau Gasol made back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime, and the Los Angeles Lakers won their fourth straight game without Kobe Bryant, 112-108 over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Metta World Peace had 18
Ramon Sessions scored 22 points, and Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who are 4-1 while the NBA's leading scorer rests his bruised shin.
points as Los Angeles rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit before finishing off a four-game season sweep of the defending champion Mavericks, who swept the Lakers out of last season's playoffs.
Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points on 9-of-28 shooting and 14 rebounds, but Jason Terry missed a potential tying layup at the rim with five seconds left in overtime for the Mavericks, whose three-game winning streak ended. Delonte West scored 20 points, and Terry had 21 before missing a shot while trying to avoid Matt
Barnes' defense.
Gasol added two free throws with 0.5 seconds left in the Lakers' fifth straight regular-season win over Dallas.
The Lakers boosted their lead over the Clippers atop the Pacific Division to one and a half games with six to play. The Lakers also have the tiebreaker edge on their next-door rivals.
Dallas nursed a lead down the fourth-quarter stretch before the Lakers made a 14-6 run, taking the lead on Sessions' 3-pointer with 3:24 left. After Dallas tied it
at 98 on Terry's jumper with 55 seconds left, Sessions missed an awkward shot with 1.5 seconds to play, and Nowitzki clanged a 3-point attempt off the back rim at the buzzer.
In the second half, Bynum
Bynum has been fighting a respiratory infection, and he got off to an 0-for-5 start that matched the Lakers' early effort. Los Angeles missed 10 of its first 12 shots while the Mavericks jumped to an early 10-point lead propelled by West, who scored 16 points in the first half.
returned to the dominant form he showed while getting 30 rebounds and scoring 30 points in consecutive games, a feat last accomplished by Moses Malone in 1982.
After getting treatment during tipoff, Bryant sat on the Lakers' bench again, shouting instructions and cheering his teammates. If Bryant plans to return soon, Los Angeles has just five games remaining, including Tuesday's visit from San Antonio, before the postseason.
Gallacher shot a 70. American David Lipsky also closed with a 70 to tie for third at 12 under with Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello and England's Danny Willett. Cabrera-Bello and Willett shot 71.
The tournament was sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
GOLF
Associated Press
The 2010 British Open champion finished at 17-under 271 on Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club's West Course.
Oosthuizen wins in Asia one week after Masters
"I was a little surprised to win here after that," Oosthuizen said. "I thought I would be a lot more tired. My golf was a bit up and down in the morning at the end of the third round, but I settled down and played well later."
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Louis Oosthuizen won the Malaysian Open on Sunday, a week after losing a playoff to Bubba Watson in the Masters.
The South African completed a 3-under 69 in the rain-delayed third round, then closed with a 68 for a three-stroke victory over Scotland's Stephen Gallacher.