THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
8.2.
MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012
BASEBALL
PAGE 7B
Grand slam helps the Jayhawks bounce back
ANDREW JOSEPH
ajoseph@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball team returns to Lawrence on a winning streak after completing a 2-1 weekend in Minneapolis, Minn.
Coming off a disappointing loss to North Dakota, the Jayhawks (8-7) dropped the first game of the weekend series to Stony Brook 4-0. The losing would stop there for Kansas as the team ended the weekend with strong showings from key freshmen. Coach Ritch Price hoped to see his team grow during the road-heavy nonconference schedule, and the Jayhawks did exactly that this weekend.
"Playing in our league, if we get beat on a Friday night, you have to respond and play hard the whole weekend," Price said. "I was pleased with the maturity we showed."
Freshman pitcher Wes Benjamin went the full nine innings in Friday's game two of the double-header, but he took a no-decision in the Friday marathon. Benjamin surrendered one run on three hits as the Jayhawks went on to defeat Stony Brook 3-1 in 14 innings.
Freshman center fielder Connor
McKay hit the go-around two-run homer in the top of the 14th, helping freshman pitcher Robert Kahana earn his second win of the season. McKay hit a crucial home run in Kansas' comeback bid against North Dakota on Wednesday. Although he's batting just .241, Price has seen significant improvement in McKay's approach at the plate.
"His plate discipline has been a lot better the last four or five games," Price said. "He's not chasing the breaking ball out of the zone and he's not swinging at the first pitch regardless of what's being thrown. He's made some great adjustments."
Kahana pitched five scoreless innings in relief of Benjamin, allowing two hits and striking out a pair en route to the victory.
McKay continued his power surge into the Saturday evening matchup with Minnesota. Sophomore pitcher Frank Duncan surrendered four runs in the first inning, but the Jayhawks broke out the bats in the second with an eight-run inning. McKay hit a grand slam to give Kansas a 7-4 lead. The Jayhawks would tack on two more runs in the game to earn
a 9-4 victory over the Golden Gophers.
"My swing has felt good, and I'm seeing the ball real well," McKay said. "My coaches and teammates have supported me through this and allowed me to grow into the player I want to become, and right now my swing is just working for me."
McKay's grand slam was his third home run in four games and his fourth overall on the season. Even with the sudden success at the plate, McKay is still adjusting to the grind of an everyday player at the college level.
"Every game coach gives me a chance to play, I get an opportunity to learn and get better," McKay said. "Even the games that I'm struggling out there, I'm still learning how to overcome that adversity to and make changes."
McKay and the Javahaws will look to stay hot as the team makes the second trip of the season to San Antonio, Texas. Kansas opens its play this week in the Irish Classic against Indiana State (11-4) at noon on Thursday.
Edited by Pat Strathman
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Infielder Chris Manship attempts to steal second during the second inning but is called out by the umpire. Manship hit a single to reach first base.
ROWING
Younger players show promise after Oklahoma Invitational
FISE REITER
ereuter@kansan.com
The Kansas rowing team opened up the spring season with a strong start at the Oklahoma Invitational. The Jayhawks placed sixth with 21 points before beating Creighton in Sunday's final four races.
The weekend started off a bit slowly, with one victory from the second varsity team against Oklahoma with a time of 7:38.36. But the Jayhawks picked up momentum, bringing in more
victories during the second half of the meet, including victories against rival Kansas State by the varsity four and second varsity eight.
"The first race of the season is always kind of tough, because of the nerves and you're not sure what to expect. But we did really well with improving on it," senior Melani Luthi of the varsity eight said. "We're making a lot of progress, it's good to see."
"We started off Saturday morning with a fresh new day, because we didn't have to travel."
junior Olivia Kinet of the varsity eight said. "We gained some confidence, and brought in some wins."
The Jayhawks came away from the meet with 11 victories, including strong performances by the second varsity and novice teams. While the novice team's victories did not count for points toward the competition, it shows promise of a strong team in the future.
The younger rowers picked up several victories, including victories against Creighton and
Oklahoma by the second novice eight. Kansas' novice eight left
the Oklahoma Sooners in the water, defeating them by 22 seconds.
"I've been here for five years and this is the best team I've been on. So I'm really excited to see where we can go." Luthi said. "We have a high poten
really sure how fast we can be,
but we know we're fast."
have a high potential. We're not
MELANI LUTHI Senior rower
"I think that our team is starting in a really good place, and we know what we need to improve on." Kinet said. "I think we're gonna be a really fast team this year."
cess to the work they put into improvement.
"You wanna race just a little bit harder, and push yourself to the next level," Luthi said. "You want to push yourself as hard as you possibly can, and get used to working that hard."
The next meet for the Jayhawks is next weekend at the Louisville Invitational in Tennessee.
Edited by Max Rothman
NBA
Kobe Bryant's last-minute shot leads Lakers past rival Celtics
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Andrew Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who rallied from a five-point deficit in the final $2\frac{1}{2}$ minutes. The All-Star center hit a short hook shot over Kevin Garnett with 15.5 seconds left, and Boston couldn't get a good look at a tying 3-pointer.
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead jumper with 41.7 seconds to play, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 97-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
The Lakers scored the final eight points in their 18th victory in 19 home games, stylishly finishing their third straight victory over Boston.
Rajon Rondo had 24 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, who opened an eight-game road trip by blowing a late lead. On Boston's final possession, Ray Allen failed to get free for a 3-pointer before Rondo badly missed a try attempt.
Kobe Bryant attempts a shot between two Celtics on Sunday, the BBA's leading scorer, finished with 26 points.
ASSOCIATED PRESS