PAGE 10
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012
BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks fall in spite of an error-free game
The Wichita State Shockers defeated Kansas 10-2 in Wednesday's matchun
MAX LUSH
mlush@kansan.com
WICHITA — The scoreboard didn't read the way Kansas players wanted it to. The Wichita State Shockers ran the Jayhawks off the field 10-2 last night after delivering a heartbreaking loss to the Jayhawks in 16-innings Tuesday night.
One part of the scoreboard the Jayhawks could take pride in was the zero to the right of the nine hits they recorded. For just the second time in seven games, the Jayhawks did not commit an error.
"The defense has been the strength of our club," coach Ritch Price said. "In order for us to be good, we have to play really good defense because we're not as good offensively as we've been."
The Shockers loaded the bases in the third inning with
no outs and were leading 3-0
when red-shirt junior outfielder Micah Green hit a fly ball out to freshman Connor McKay in right field.
McKay caught the ball with his momentum
going toward home plate. He threw a perfect strike to senior catcher James Stanfield to tag out the runner at home. For the moment, the play kept Kansas in the game.
"The ball was there and I had the opportunity to make the play," McKay said. "We practice that play enough in the outfield, so it was just like practice."
The assist was McKay's fourth assist from the outfield this season, a team-high.
base stealers from behind the plate. He also threw out another runner trying to go to second after a play at the plate. His key throws kept the Jayhawks in the game until the Shockers blew the game open in the seventh inning.
Stanfield threw out one of two
Stanfield came to Kansas as a middle infielder until Price moved him behind the plate his sophomore year. Stanfield took the position change and has made his presence felt behind the plate.
"We have to play really good defense because we're not as good offensively as we've been."
"I'm really proud of his development," Price said. "He's the best catch and throw guy in our conference, and I'm really pleased with his progress."
With a depleted bullpen, Kansas had to use some of its inexperienced pitchers to get through the game. Price told his pitches he wanted them to pitch to contact and then he told ****
RITCH PRICE coach
defense they needed to be on their toes and ready to play.
Last week.
Kansas was
ranked 10th
in the country in fielding percentage.
In just one
week's time, they've plummeted nine spots to 19th in the nation. Before Wednesday's loss, Kansas had committed eight errors in its last five games.
"I think we're ready to get over this," Elgie said of the errors. "We're ready to focus on the weekend and playing Texas A&M."
Third baseman Zac Elegie led the infield's strong defensive performance,charging in three times on softly hit balls and throwing on the run to first base.
TYLER ROSTE/ KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Infeilder Kevin Kuntz bats in an earlier game this season.
As Kansas struggles offensively, the team relies on its defense to create momentum for the offense.
"Any time you make a good defensive play," Elgie said, "throwing out a guy at home, turning a double play or making a good play to get out of the inning, I think to get that momentum on your side is a big key."
The game wasn't pretty, but it was clean, and that's something for the Jayhawks to build off of.
Edited by Katie James
TYLFR ROSTF/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Pitcher Wes Benjamin throws to first baseman Jake Marasco in a game earlier this season. Last night Kansas lost 10-2 in Wichita.
MLB
Yankees win in extra-innings against Orioles BALTIMORE — Nick Swisher hit a two-run homer in the 10th, and the New York Yankees beat Baltimore 6-4 Wednesday night for their second straight extra-inning win and a three-game sweep of the Orioles.
Curtis Granderson homered and drove in three runs for the Yankees, who won consecutive extra-inning road games for the first time since July 16-17, 2001, at Philadelphia, according to STATS LLC.
With two outs in the 10th, Mark Teixeira hit an opposite-field pop off Kevin Gregg (0-1) that landed just inside the left-field line and between third baseman Mark Reynolds and left fielder Nolan Reimold.
Associated Press
After getting swept at Tampa Bay and starting 0-3 for the first time since 1998, the Yankees are back to .500 heading into their home opener against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.
NBA
Los Angeles tops Oklahoma City in 100-98 win
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Chris Paul scored 31 points, including the game-winning shot on a layup with 8.8 seconds left, lifting the Los Angeles Clippers to a 100-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder that kept them in position for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Paul got past Thunder defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha and squeezed the ball onto the rim past the league's leading shot blocker, Serge Ibaka, to put L.A. ahead.
Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer that could have won
it, hitting the back rim on a shot over Clippers center DeAndre Jordan from the left wing.
Durant led Oklahoma City with 22 points and Russell Westbrook scored 20 on 3-for-14 shooting. The West-leading Thunder have lost four of their last six games.
Blake Griffin added 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles.
The Clippers needed the win to hang on to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Fifth-place Memphis came into the night a half-game behind L.A. and beat Phoenix.
Paul came up big in the fourth quarter, as he has all season. He
scored 11 points in the final period as the Clippers pulled ahead after trailing most of the way. He hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer and a floater along the lane to give L.A. a five-point lead and then the 6-foot point guard restored that edge by tipping in his own miss a few trips later.
After Durant's 3-pointer tied it at 98 with 32 seconds left, Paul drained the shot clock before coming up with the decisive basket — the ball rattling around the rim before falling through.
The first two meetings of the season were nothing alike.
The Clippers won easily on their home court at the end of January, getting one of the
season's most memorable dunks from Griffin over Oklahoma City's Kendrick Perkins and a flurry of 13 3-pointers.
The Thunder responded last month, with Perkins setting the tone by hitting Griffin in the face on a first-quarter foul. Griffin ended up with a career-low seven points and didn't have a single dunk in a blowout loss.
Griffin provided some highlight material in this one, most notably a right-handed slam over Ibaka midway through the third quarter, and he flirted with a triple-double before failing to register an assist in the fourth quarter.
But that's when Paul, playing
on the court where he once starred with the relocated New Orleans Hornets, was at his best.
His right-handed runner tied it at 80 before he came out for a brief rest, and Randy Foye's 3-pointer from the right side with 8:35 remaining put L.A. ahead for the first time since it was 6-5 in the opening 4 minutes.
Los Angeles won for the ninth time in its last 11 games all without top reserve Mo Williams, who is out with a sprained left big toe.
Eric Bledsoe's layup finished off a 15-4 run and bumped it to 87-84, and Oklahoma City could never regain control.
Oklahoma City fell two games behind idle Chicago for the best record in the NBA.
The Thunder started out 6-for10 from 3-point range and built a 39-28 lead after Derek Fisher's make from the right side with 7:21 before halftime, but then missed 3s on three straight possessions as Los Angeles scored six points in a row to get back in it.
The Clippers got within two late in the first half before Oklahoma City reeled off eight straight points and finished the half with a 55-48 edge.
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