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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25. 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SOFTBALL
Jayhawks lose first shutout, then win a comeback thriller
JOSEPH DAUGHERTY
idaugherty@kansan.com
A disappointing loss and sweet revenge describes the first two days of the Islanders Classic for the Jayhawks.
The first two days of the.
Islanders Classic in Corpus Christi was an up-and-down ride for the Jayhawks. On Thursday the Jayhawks suffered their first shutout of the season
"That's when we are good, when we attack the game. We didn't do that today."
falling to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1-0. Kansas recorded season-low four hits, an uncharacteristic performance for an offense that has led the Big 12 in batting average this season. Coach Megan Smith said the team was passive and needs to be more aggressive in every area.
"Pille didn't attack their hitters, our defense didn't attack when they were making plays and our offense certainly didn't attack that pitcher," Smith said. "That's when we are good, when we attack the game, we didn't do that today."
team show up. The Jayhawks earned another run rule victory beating the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 11-3 Friday morning. The top of the order went a combined 11-12 with six RBIs. Junior Alex Jones scored three runs and senior left fielder
Friday saw a different KU
MEGAN SMITH Kansas coach
Maggie Hull drove in three RBIs that gave her sole possession fourth place in the Kansas career RBI
race with 111. The Jayhawks erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Going into the Islanders Classic one of the main motivations was a second chance to face Auburn. Last weekend the Jayhawks fell to Auburn 8-5 in a heartbreaking loss where they held the lead for most of the game.
lead powered by four homeruns building a 9-4 lead before the Jayhawks rallied. Sophomore Maddie Stein led the strong offensive performance with career high four hits along with three RBIs.
Friday afternoon, the Jayhawks won a comeback thriller against Auburn 11-10. Kansas was down 9-5 and down to its final out when the team strung together six two-out runs that brought them the victory. Auburn jumped out to a huge
"You don't see a comeback like that very often," Smith said. "Our girls were determined, they stayed focused and stayed within themselves. They were fighters, even when we were behind, we were still attacking so we knew good things were going to happen."
Several players, as well as coach Smith, battled against the stomach virus most of the weekend, but managed to pull through for a 2-1 record the first two days of the tournament.
Edited by Allison Hammond
Sluggish start sinks Jayhawks in close loss
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Senior forward Carolyn Davis and senior guard Angel Goodrich defend against Texas Tech's dribble-drive offense on Sunday in Allen Fieldhouse.
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
The scene at Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday felt familiar, as the Kansas women fell into a deep 15-point hole in the first half, and fought their way out of it in the second.
The Jayhawks tied the game with 18 seconds left as senior guard Angel Goodrich converted a 3-point possession on the foul. It was the second time at home and third time this season that the Jayhawks have made a comeback of at least 15 points in the second half. However, the other two games ended in Kansas wins. Despite their comeback, the Jayhawks fell to the Red Raiders 72-70.
"When we get down 10 points, 15 points, we don't think, well, the game is over," senior guard Monica Engelman said. "We look at it as, we've been in this situation and we can get out of it."
Kansas nearly did get out of it. But Texas Tech's final possession of the game ended exactly the way Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson wanted to avoid, a one-legged layup, though that what defined
For a team with such high expectations coming into this season, this is a frustrating place to be.
"All the games at the end are important for us right now," Goodrich said. "We put ourselves in a spot where we don't want to be."
sant it's a problem that needs to be fixed before it happens again. The recent losses to Texas and Texas Tech have put serious doubt into Kansas' tournament hopes.
The Jayhawks have three games left for the season. The next two come against Oklahoma and Iowa state, both of which are ranked teams. The final game of the season is senior night against TCU.
For most of the first half the Jayhawks were a team without energy.
That spot is seventh in the Big 12 standings, and possibly on the outside looking in at the NCAA tournament.
the game for Henrickson.
"When you start making turnovers and mistakes, it's easy for a team to lose their energy," Engelman said. "But, I think what got us back into the game was we realized what was going on and what we were doing."
The situation that the team has put itself in is frustrating for Goodrich, who scored 18 second half points in the attempted comeback victory.
"I don't know how many games we've had to come back from 15 points or more," Goodrich said. "And that's on us. We come out flat. We don't come out the way we need to."
"It wasn't the final possession," Henrickson said, "It's who we were in the first half"
The sluggish starts have become common for Kansas. In many of its Big 12 games this season, Kansas has raised its energy level only after falling behind in the first half.
Goodrich could not explain the lack of energy at the start, but
- Edited by Brian Sisk
BASEBALL
Snow causes impromptu weekend series in Arkansas
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
As this weekend's snowstorm hit Lawrence, Kansas baseball cancelled a home series with Northwestern and hit the road, braving the elements, for an impromptu snow tour through Arkansas.
After beating SIU-Edwardsville 8-0 in Little Rock, Ark., Friday, the Jayhawks made their way to Conway, Ark., where they faced the Central Arkansas Bears and the Jackson State Tigers in a Saturday double-header.
"He was very good out there," Kansas coach Ritch Price said. "That's the best performance we've had someone throw against us this season, and unfortunately our left-hander wasn't as good as he was today."
The Jayhawks fell to Central Arkansas 9-3 on the Bears' homefield. UCA junior Jeffrey Enloe pitched a complete game, posting 10 strikeouts to match the solid performance of the Bear lineup.
Kansas pitchers struggled to find the strike zone throughout the day with the cold conditions.
"It was really cold down here for both games," Price said. "Our guys had a hard time with the dampness. They were blowing on their hands trying to keep their hands warm,
In game one, the Jayhawks jumped to a two-run lead in the top of the first inning, but couldn't hang on for long. UCA scored seven runs in the next two innings, handing Kansas starter Wes Benjamin an early exit. Kansas added a third run in the fourth but couldn't keep the Bears off the scoreboard.
The Jayhawks won 10-6 on the shoulders of senior first baseman and catcher Alex DeLeon's 3-for-3 performance at the plate. DeLeon posted three runs, two walks, an RBI and a stolen base to lead Kansas offensive.
After five scoreless innings to finish the game, the Jayhawks took the 9-3 loss.
but it was a tough day to pitch."
"That first game was a tough loss," DeLeon said. "We had to just flush it and play the next team. Luckily, the back end of our bullpen was the difference. They just shut down their队."
Game two against Jackson State was a different story.
Kansas started quickly in game two as well, posting five runs in the
"I just felt a little more relaxed and comfortable at the plate today," DeLeon said.
The hayawks turned their play and mindset around quickly with an hour period between the two games.
top of the first inning. The Jayhawks held a 6-1 lead until the bottom of the fifth when Jackson State fought back to tie.
The Kansas bullpen took over from there. Junior middle reliever Jordan Piche' entered the game late in the fourth, pitching with three strikeouts and no earned runs.
Sophomore reliever Robert Kahana took over from there pitching 2 1/3 innings with three strikeouts, earning him his first win of the 2013 season.
The Jayhawks posted two runs in the seventh and one run in both the eighth and ninth innings to complete the day and split the doubleheader.
"It was a great team win," DeLeon said. "We really needed the series down here. I'm just glad we got the chance to come down and play. Obviously we can't afford to take a weekend off for weather."
Tuesday's game against Missouri State was rescheduled due to weather. Now Kansas is scheduled to face Iowa in their next home game on March 1 at 3 p.m.
Edited by Allison Hammond
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