THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012
SOFTBALL
PAGE 7
Jayhawk pitchers need strong outing against Longhorns
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN FILF PHOTO
Sophomore infielder Ashley Newman bunts the ball for a foul ball during Wednesday nights second game in the double header against Wichita State. The Jawhaws won the first game 9-1 and the second game 8-3.
Texas enters the weekend with three losses, while Kansas follows two victories over WSU.
ALEC TILSON
atilson@kansan.com
ALEC TILSON
The Kansas softball team will face No. 5 Texas this weekend, but coach Megan Smith said the team is more excited than nervous.
"It's fun to play the best and that's what we're doing again this weekend," Smith said. "It's a lot of fun to see how we stack up against them."
Kansas,(26-12, 3-9),squares off against Texas (32-5, 6-3) in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Texas enters the weekend having lost three consecutive games, two of which came against No. 9 Missouri, while Kansas currently holds a three-game winning streak.
Against such a talented team, Kansas' goal is to focus on the team itself. Smith said the biggest keys to success this weekend are to approach each pitch individually and "just play hard."
The Texas offense is among the best in the country. Its .356 team batting average leads the Big 12 and is helped by senior infielder Lexy Bennett, whose .418 batting
"She's such a talented pitcher. She'll come out this weekend and hopefully have a better outing."
MEGAN SMITH coach
average is top in the conference.
Smith said Kansas' pitchers must stay composed in order to limit Texas' lineups.
The layhawks will need sharp outings from each pitcher, especially from junior Morgan Druhan. Druhan is the the team's second starter and she struggled to find the strike zone Wednesday
against Wichita State.
"She needs to throw strikes," Smith said. "She's such a talented pitcher. She'll come out this weekend and hopefully have a better outing."
The Longhorns' junior Luna Blaire and sophomore Rachel Fox lead the Texas pitching staff. Neither are elite strikeout pitchers, but both hold an ERA under 2.00.
Kansas' junior leftfielder Maggie Hull has faced Blaire twice in her career and hopes that helps her out this weekend.
"She's the type of pitcher where she may get you once, but you can figure her out easily," Hull said. "She's pretty predictable."
Hull is third in the conference with 48 hits on the season and will need help from the entire lineup if Kansas hopes defeat Texas.
BASEBALL
— Edited by Gabrielle Schock
Unbeaten starting pitcher to face No.2 Texas A&M Friday
ANDREW JOSEPH
ajoseph@kansan.com
With the Kansas baseball team (12-21) in the midst of a six-game losing streak, the Jayhawks will face a challenge this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas opens a three-game series with No. 2-ranked Texas A&M (26-7) on Friday as coach Ritch Rice's team looks to end the losing streak. Texas A&M lost 3-2 Tuesday against Texas-Arlington, which ended their five-game winning streak.
Junior pitcher Michael Wacha will take the mound on Friday for Texas A&M. Wacha is 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA, and College Baseball Daily ranks him as the 26th-best player in the country.
"Our starting pitching has been really good on the weekend, and when you see the three guys Texas A&M runs out there, you'll see the reason that they're No. 2 in the nation," Price said. "They have as good of starters on Friday and Saturday night as anyone in the country."
"The more that you can have momentum on your side, it gives us a better chance in the long run to come away with a victory," Elgie said. "We had opportunities to get clutch hits, but it didn't go our way – that's why you play the game though. Hopefully
The Jayhawks rank at the bottom of the Big 12 in both average and runs scored, so it will take an out-of-character performance from the offense to give the Texas A&M pitching staff trouble. Senior third baseman Zac Elgie said that a few key plays could be the difference in beating the Aggies.
we'll get those clutch hits this weekend and get a couple wins"
Sophomore pitcher Frank Duncan is scheduled to start Friday against the Aggies. Duncan will enter the game with a 3-4 record and 3.49 ERA, but he has given the Jayhawks quality innings even in defeat.
"We're going to need quality starts from all three of our pitchers this weekend," Price said. "We do like our pitching - our starters have been good."
The usual weekend starters of freshman Wes Benjamin (2-3 with 3.93 ERA) and junior Thomas Taylor (3-4 with 4.13 ERA) face Texas A&M's Ross Stripling and Rafael Pineda. Both Stripling and Pineda have five wins and under a 3.00 ERA. Stripling is the only Big 12 player named to ESPN.com preseason All-American team.
Price's teams have found previous success against top-ranked opponents, and last season the Jayhawks beat top-ranked TCU in the first series of the year. Price said that the key to those teams success was their competitive nature and excitement when going against top-ranked clubs. However, Price is not sure how this young Kansas team will respond against Texas A&M.
"The teams that I've coached in the past have lived for this moment," Price said. "We're really young, and I'm hoping we can rise up another level. You have to be willing enough to compete against them and not be afraid, and we've been fortunate in the past to be afraid."
Edited by Anna Allen
Wichita State's Jonny Coy attempts to tag Kansas' Kevin Kuntz as he dives back onto first base during the third inning of Tuesday's game in Lawrence.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
MLB
Blanton bounces back, Miami loses twice without Guillen
I ASSOCIATED PRESS
Blanton (1-1) allowed three hits and a run in his first start following an injury-plagued season. Blanton had two lengthy stints on the disabled list and pitched in only 11 games in 2011, the lowest for a full season in his career.
PHILADELPHIA — Shane Victorino and Ty Wigginton homered, Joe Blanton pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat Miami 3-1 on Tuesday night in the Martins' second game without suspended manager Ozzie Guillen.
Blanton is often overlooked in a rotation that boasts three aces. Against the Marlins, he was as effective as he was during his first two seasons in Philadelphia.
The Marlins lost their second straight game without Guillen. He was suspended five games by the Marlins on Tuesday for saying he admired Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Blanton outdueled Mark Buehrle (0-2) to help the five-time NL East champions win their second straight game and move back to .500. Blanton made only eight starts last season because of elbow problems. He was in a groove and had good command while throwing 85 pitches.
Jonathan Papelbon took the mound in the ninth to Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar," and quickly ran into trouble. But he retired John Buck on a game-ending double play for his second save.
The Phillies know they can count on Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels to help them overcome an offense weakened by the loss of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. But Vance Worley and Blanton are rotation wild cards.
Lee, Worley and Hamels are the probable pitchers for this weekend's three-game series against the improved New York Mets.
Having Blanton back in the mix
as a dependable starter would bolster Philly's chances to hold off NL East teams on the rise such as the Marlins, Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies broke through for seven runs a night earlier against the Marlins after scoring a combined eight runs over the first four games. They couldn't put together a big inning against Buehrle — but a team that became annual contenders on the back of the long ball went deep twice.
Buehrle retired the first nine batters before Victorino led off the fourth with a shot to left for Philadelphia's third home run of the season. John Mayberry Jr. added a run-scoring single later in the inning for a 2-0 lead.
The Marlins made it 2-1 when right fielder Hunter Pence displayed Buck's low liner and couldn't come up with the ball, scoring Omar Infante.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Miami Martins catcher John Buck cannot reach a pop foul by Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins in the first inning on Thursday in Philadelphia.
That was it for the Marlins.
Wiggington's homer made it 3-1.