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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
SPORTS 3B
VOLLEYBALL
Four players get double-digit kills against Oklahoma
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
Kansas volleyball team is back on track after an exciting victory defeating Oklahoma 3-2 (21-5, 25-20, 25-22, 25-27, 15-10). Kansas improved to 8-3 (1-1) while Oklahoma fell to 9-3 (2-1) in the back and forth battle at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center.
"I don't think anybody walked away here without thinking they got their money's worth," coach Ray Bechard said.
While the fans may not have known the outcome of the match until the end, junior outside hitter Karina Garlington said she knew the team would win.
"I felt like we always had control of the match," Garlington said. "I felt like every single person on the team was thinking we've got this, and 'losing is not an option.'"
Garlington had a powerful offensive night, racking up 28 kills. It is the ninth time that Garlington has had double-digit kills in a match this season. Right behind her was senior middle blocker Paige Mazour with 14 kills, sophomore outside hitter Allison Mayfield with 13 kills and
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sophomore outside hitter Lauren Hagan with 10.
"We had some people really pick it up," Bechard said. "We need it that way if we want to have the kind of season we want to have."
Kansas out-dug Oklahoma 96-91 and Kansas tallied 76 kills for the night compared with Oklahoma's 68.
Kansas started the match sloppily, falling behind 1-6 very early, and never got on track in the first set. The Jayhawks did fight back late, but could not overcome eight errors and Oklahoma's strong offense. The lost the set 21-25.
Kansas regrouped and came out strong in the second set pulling ahead 8-3 early. The two sets seemed to mirror each other as Oklahoma committed seven errors and Kansas came out hitting the ball hard. Kansas kept Oklahoma at bay winning the set 25-20.
Kansas started out slow in the third set but a few high-energy kills
allowed Kansas to rally and go on a 4-0 run and take the lead in the middle of the set. Oklahoma battled back, quickly tying the game 15-15. Kansas kept face and won the set 25-22.
The fourth set started out very even. Every time Kansas tried to pull away, Oklahoma had an answer. Kansas went on a four-point run to take the lead 19-17, but Oklahoma fought back to tie it up 23-23. Kansas again had a chance to win the set late, but had trouble putting Oklahoma away and lost the set 25-27.
The fifth set picked up where the fourth set left off with a back and forth battle for match point. After being tied up at 10-10, Kansas scored five in a row to put Oklahoma away for the night.
Mazour said the win felt good and was important to help get the team back on track.
"Any time it's five sets and at home, you have to get that win," said Mazour.
Kansas will continue Big 12 Conference play at 1 p.m. this Saturday at no. 24 Baylor.
- Edited by Sarah Kelly
Jerry Wang/KNRSK Junior outside hitter Katrina Garlington leaps in the air for a spike against Oklahoma. Garlington scored 28 kills in the Jayhawks-3-2 victory against OKahla.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
MLB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jason Marquis reacts as San Diego Padres Will Venable, background, rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run to lead off the second inning of a baseball game in Denver on Wednesday. The Padres beat Colorado 6-3.
Rockies pitcher upbeat despite loss to Padres
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — Jason Marquis is running out of time to find his missing sinker.
The Rockies' All-Star right-hander had trouble with his release point and took the loss Wednesday night when the San Diego Padres beat Colorado 6-3.
"Oh, plenty of time." Marquis insisted. "I'll work hard in between starts, try to get the feel back. I might lighten up my throwing a little bit, we're so deep into the season. I'll watch some film, throw a nice light 'pen and try to get my feel back for the bottom of the strike zone."
Hell have two more starts to try to help the Rockies reach the playoffs.
That would start with a win over San Diego on Thursday night when the Rockies send right-hander Jason Hammel (9-8) to the mound against lefty Clayton Richard (8-5).
"If we win the rest of our series, nobody catches us," manager Jim Tracy declared.
With 10 games left, the Rockies' hearts aren't racing just yet.
The Rockies' lead in the NL wild-card race was whittled to four games over Atlanta, which beat New York 5-2, and San Francisco, which beat Arizona 5-2.
Then, former Rockies slugger Matt Holliday makes his first visit to Coors Field as an opponent when the St. Louis Cardinals come to Colorado for a three-game series.
There's a chance the Cards will
clinch a playoff spot at their hotel Thursday night, if the Chicago Cubs lose at San Francisco. That could change the competitiveness of their weekend series at Coors Field.
By not swinging at Marquis' off-target sinkers early in the count, they forced him to rely on his secondary pitches that caught more of the plate.
As the Padresproved Wednesday night, though, nothing's coming easy for the Rockies.
"That's been the thing that I've been working on the last couple of days, just trying to tighten up the zone a little bit, just wait for the pitch I know I can hit," Venable said.
That patience paid off, especially for Will Venable, who hammered a flat slider for his 12th homer and added a three-run triple off a meaty pitch in the fifth, giving San Diego a 5-0 lead.
"I just wasn't getting ahead," he said. "If I get ahead, it really doesn't matter what the other team's game plan is. I was falling behind, too many hitters' counts and I had to come back to the middle of the plate more times than I wanted to."
MLB
Marquis allowed six runs, five of them earned, on five hits and five walks before leaving with two outs in the fifth, failing for the third time to win his career-best 16th game.
His four RBIs tied a career high and helped the Padres snap Colorado's eight-game home winning streak.
Hitting so poorly early in the season that people questioned his eyesight, Ortiz is back to blasting balls out of the ballpark as the Red Sox move closer to the postseason. Despite a measly .234 average, Big Papi has a respectable 25 homers and 88 RBIs — just as manager Terry Francona predicted back in May.
Ortiz shines as Red Sox beat Royals
David Ortiz homered and drove in four runs, and Josh Beckett allowed two runs over six innings to lift the Red Sox to a 9-2 win over the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Wednesday night.
"I remember saying look up in the end, his batting average is going to be lower and he has to live with that," Francona said. "As long as he doesn't walk to the plate looking at that, he'll be OK. That's what has happened."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Big Papi is getting big hits again and it couldn't come at a better time for the Boston Red Sox.
Ortiz drove in one run with
a single in Boston's six-run fifth inning, then added a three-run homer off Carlos Rosa to give the Red Sox three players with 25 homers in the same season for the first time since 2003.
Jason Bay and lacoby Ellsbury each drove in two runs and Beckett (16-6) limited the damage from 12 hits with seven strikeouts, giving Boston 90 wins for the third
"Everything's based on results this time of year," Beckett said. "That's just the way you have to look at it.
straight season.
home winning streak end.
The difference for the Royals came down to a few pitches. Boston took advantage
"It's just a matter of making pitches in key situations," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "Unfortunately, when you're facing a lineup like that and when you miss even by a little bit, it comes back to bite you."
Wanting to get more pop in the lineup, Francona had Victor Martinez behind the plate instead
of its chances against Hochevar, Kansas City didn't against Beckett.
"It's just a matter of making pitches in key situations."
Yuniesky Betancourt had a runscoring triple among his three hits and Mitch Maier also had three hits, but the Royals stranded 12 runners to see their six-game
TREY HILLMAN Royals manager
of Beckett's usual battery mate, Jason Varitek. He tried it once before and it didn't work out too well: Beckett allowed seven earned runs in 5 1-3 innings against Toronto on Aug. 18.
Francona was
Francona was willing to try it again with Varitek struggling — .156, one homer since the All-Star break — and Martinez on a career-best 21-game hitting streak.
with a single in the fifth inning. He wasn't bad behind the plate, either, helping guide Beckett through some shaky moments.
Martínez did his part with the bat, extending his hitting streak
The right-hander had trouble from the start, allowing two runners in each of the first three innings. Beckett wriggled out of those jams, then gave up two runs in the fourth on Betancourt's triple and a flare RBI single to right by David Desus.
The next half inning changed everything.
Held to one run over the first four innings, the Red Sox unloaded on Hochevar in the fifth, scoring six runs on seven hits to go up 6-2. Ellsbury drove in two with a triple and Bay had the biggest blow on the softest hit, floating a two-run single into short left field with the bases loaded.
Pitching with a cushion, Beckett had his first perfect inning in the bottom half, then got Billy Butler on a fly to right with two on to end the sixth. He was done after that, leaving with a 6-2 lead, another win against the Royals.
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