THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY THURSDAY 26.000
SPORTS
3B
BASEBALL
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Nan Wagner Wagoner
Sophomore third baseman Tony Thompson hit a solo home run left, his team leading sixth of the year in the 7-4 victory against Western Illinois on Wednesday at Hofstadl Ballpark. Thompson hit two home runs and had three RBIs in the kearns.
Long balls fuel Kansas victory
When you're batting average is still .360 heading into a game, it's hard to say that you're in a slump.
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
Consider the slump busted.
But that's what Tony Thompson found himself in entering Wednesday game after the Texas series. Picking up only one hit in 11 at-bats during last weekend's sweep was abnormal especially considering Thompson, a sophomore third baseman, had a 23-game hit streak stretching from last season.
Thompson went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI to propel Kansas (15-7) to a 7-4 victory and a series sweep of Western Illinois Wednesday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark.
"It just felt good to finally put some good at-bats together, more than one a game." Thompson said. "Put our team in the lead by another run so I guess that's the most important part."
Thompson's second home run in the bottom of the fifth inniput put the Jayhawks up 5-2, and finally gave them some breathing room against the Leathernecks (3-12) who put up a fight all the way to the end.
It helped Thompson to log attbits against a lower level of competition, coach Ritch Price said. Against Texas, Price felt the supe-
ritor velocity of the Texas pitching staff disrupted the timing of Thompson's swing
"He wasn't as sharp as he had been earlier in the season as far as getting his bat released," Price said. "Usually when he's going good, he's dialed in on a fastball regardless of what the velocity is."
Both of Thompson's home runs were to left field and were well on their way to clearing the fence by the time Thompson reached first base.
"It was good to see him absolutely smoke those two balls," Price said. "Those two balls were crushed."
Unfortunately for Kansas, it needed all the runs it could get on Wednesday a day after after blowing away Western Illinois 14-3 on Tuesday. The Leathernecks kept it a scoreless game until the third inning, and they never fell behind by more than four runs, much to the chagrin of Price.
"Without question," Price said when asked if the game was too close for comfort. "I didn't think our energy was very good yesterday, and I didn't think it was very good in the dugout today."
Even after Thompson's first home run ignited a three-run fourth inning for Kansas, Western Illinois responded immediately in the top half of the fifth with two runs of its own.
Then after a two-run eighth for Kansas, Western Illinois responded yet again with back to back hits. The first was a home run by former Jayhawk Travis Metcalf's younger brother Tyler, to keep the game within reach before Smyth induced a ground ball to get a double play to end any possible comeback.
"We could of put a few more runs up and had a couple better at-bats," junior shortstop David Narodowski said. "But we managed to score a few runs late which just made everybody comfortable at the end."
With upsets seemingly occurring all across America in college baseball, Thompson said a victory is all that matters in the end.
"I think any win is good," Thompson said. "You like to have a little padding in between but you take whatever win you can get."
Thompson has now surpassed his home run total of a year ago (five) with six home runs through 22 games. Which begs the question: Does he consider himself a power hitter now?
"I guess I'd like to think so sometimes," he said. "I try to hit some balls in the gap and hit a few out of the park once once in awhile."
Thompson smiled before answering.
— Edited by Andrew Wiebe
BASEBALL
Double plays help kill rallies
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Junior shortstop David Noradowski turns a double play during the third inning of Kansas' game against Western Illinois on Wednesday at Hodgkins Ballpark.
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
The last time shortstop David Narodowski and second baseman Roby Price turned a double play together was March 6 against Northwestern—13 full games and 119 innings ago. Then in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game, that all changed.
Western Illinois cleanup hitter Kenny Price chopped a grounder to short, Narodowski fielded it, flipped to Robby, who fired a throw over to first baseman Zac Elgie. All of a sudden, it was like the Jayhawks' junior middle infielders couldn't help themselves. They turned three in Wednesday's game, each turning in one by themselves before collaborating on a textbook 4-6-3 double play in the ninth.
Seven times in Wednesday's game the Leathernecks found themselves with a runner on first and less than two outs, only three runners made it past that. Price and Narodowski are quick to share credit, though.
"Every time there's a guy at first," Narodowski said, "Paulie (Smyth, senior closer) runs that fastball in on right handed hitters and gets them to hit little knuckle ground ball and after that it's just routine."
Price was quick to give the pitching credit as well, saying the Jayhawk pitchers weren't letting the Leathernecks hit anything hard and were giving them a chance to
"roll them up," but he also said he and Narodowski have started to recognize each other's tendencies on double-play balls.
"I'm starting to get a feel for what he's going to do on what type of feeds," Price said, "and the same with me for him. He's been real smooth out there and it's been real easy to work with him."
Coach Ritch Price, Robby's father, said that double plays make a huge impact in a game, especially with Kansas' style of baseball.
"I think, especially when you're trying to pitch to contact like we are," he said, "if you can execute in the middle of the diamond then you can get out of a lot of jams."
It's not easy work for Nardowski and the younger Price, though. It's their first season working together, and Price spent last season playing with Texas Rangers draft pick Erik Morrison.
"In the fall we practiced that a lot, actually." Narodowski said. "In practices during the week, too, we spend probably 15 or 20 minutes just working on double plays, so we've started to get used to each other with that."
While Price and Narodowski are getting used to each other in the field, it's a safe bet that the Kansas pitchers won't have any trouble getting used to the results.
Edited by Heather Melanson
box score
Western Illinois 0 00 0 20 011 — 4103
Kansas 0 00 320 02X — 7111
Western Illinois AB R HRB
Stewart C 4 0 1 1
Wolf LF 4 0 1 1
Laidig 3B 4 0 1 1
Price RF 4 0 0 0
Metcalf 1B 3 1 1
Johnson 2B 3 1 2 0
Spicer DH 2 0 0 0
Koszukiens 2 0 1 0
Hagins CF 4 1 1 0
Gallaga ss 2 1 2 1
Totals 32 4 10 4
E-Western Illinois: Metcalf (4); Gallaga 2(5);
Kansas: Thompson (1)
Kansas Jayhawks AB R H RBI
Narodowski CF 4 0 1 1
Heere RF 3 1 1 1
Price 2B 4 0 0 0
Afenir SS 4 1 1 1
Thompson 1B 4 3 3 3
Waters DH 4 0 0 0
Lytle PR 0 1 0 0
Land 1B 4 0 0 0
Lincoln C 4 1 1 1
Faunce 3 0 2 0
Totals 34 7 11 6
Pitchers Western Illinois IP H R ER BO Brough L (0-2) 4.2 7 5 4 1 1 Lingle 3.1 5 2 1 0 3
HR-Western Illinois: Metcalf 1(5) Kansas: Thompson 2 (6)
Kansas Jayhawks IP H R ER BB SO
Bollman W (2-0) 5.0 5 2 1 1 5
Murray 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
Blankenship 1.0 1 0 0 1 1
Boyer 0.2 2 1 1 0 1
Bochy 0.1 0 0 0 0 1
Smyth 1.0 2 1 1 0 0
T-2:22. A-655.
baseball notes
Family Ties
Western Illinois first baseman Tyler Metcalf's brother Travis set a Kansas record with 18 home runs in the 2004 season. The younger Metcalf sent two balls sailing over the outfield wall Tuesday then hit another Wednesday. "I got a text from Travis that said, 'That's how the Metcalfs roll in Hoglund Ballpark,' coach Ritch Price said, laughing.
Two for Thompson
Tony Thompson hit his fifth and sixth home runs of the season Wednesday night. It is the first time in his Jayhawk career that Thompson has had a multi-homer run game and it is the first one for KU since Erik Morrison did it last year against Baylor. "Those two balls were crushed," coach Ritch Price said.
Tim Dwyer
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