10A SPORTS
MLB
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2006
Cards win NL pennant
Mets hopes crushed by Yadier Molina home run in 9th
BY MIKE FITZPATRICK ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — No way anybody was catching Yadier Molina's ninth-inning shot. And by the time it landed beyond the left-field fence, the St. Louis Cardinals were headed to the World Series.
Molina's tiebreaking homer and another Game 7 gem by Jeff Suppan helped St. Louis overcome Endy Chavez's astounding grab, giving the Cardinals a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets on Thursday night
for the NL championship.
Adam Wainwright wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth, striking out St. Louis nemesis Carlos Beltran to end it and leaving a stunned crowd in deflated silence just moments after it had Shea Stadium shaking.
And with that, the Cardinals earned their second pennant in three years and a date with the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night in Game 1 of the World Series.
Hey Motown, here come the Cards.
Molina, a .216 career hitter with only six home runs during the regular season, drove the first pitch he saw from reliever Aaron Heilman into New York's bullpen for a 3-1 lead in the ninth.
Chavez, who made one of the most memorable postseason catches just three innings earlier, could only stand and watch at the fence as the Mets' World Series hopes were dashed.
Scott Rolen, robbed of a homer by Chavez in the sixth, got the St. Louis rally started with a single.
Jenny Murtaugh, sophomore midfielder, and the rest of the Jayhawks will play against Baylor today and Texas Tech this weekend. The Jayhawks have improved their performance since their loss against Texas two weeks ago, and the team is now fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Tunnel of op•pres•sion
An interactive, multi-media experience that teaches about oppression.
Oppression can only survive through silence.
How long will you remain silent?
SOCCER
October 23 & 24 Lewis Hall 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
For more information or to volunteer, call the Multicultural Resource Center 864-4350
Jayhawks to take on Bears push play to higher level
After coach's remarks on Texas loss, performance improves
BY MARK DENT
Maybe Mark Francis needs to get upset more often.
Two weeks ago at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, Kansas played its worst game of the season in a loss against Texas. After the game, the Kansas coach blasted his team in a long tirade, and the Jayhawks have responded with some of their best soccer of the year.
"I'm sure me chewing them a new one probably gave them a little impetus," Francis said. "But I think they also realized what Kansas soccer is all about."
Kansas will look to continue playing at a high level at 3 p.m. today when it faces Baylor at the jayhawk Soccer Complex. It will also play host to Tech Texas at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The jayhawks' best soccer of the season actually started with
Baylor (6-8-1, 3-4) has already surpassed last season's four victories and is currently sitting in seventh place in the conference. Last week, the Bears split match-ups with the Oklahoma schools, losing to the
three at home, starting today with the Bears.
an Oct. 8 loss to the Aggies, who are in first place in the Big 12 Conference. Francis said the team played well enough to beat Texas A&M, but it couldn't capitalize on its scoring chances.
"We had been having trouble finishing the last couple of games, but scoring six goals was a great boost for our confidence."
Cowgirls and defeating the Sooners.
MARK FRANCIS Kansas coach
That wasn't a problem last
LAWRENCE 601 KASOLD 1447 W.23RD ST. 922 MASSACHUSETTS ST.
785.331.2222 785.838.3737 785.841.0011
Texas Tech (6-9-2, 1-5-1) is another team that has improved this season. A sub-500 record probably won't win the Raiders a championship, but it is a giant
WE DELIVER! 7 DAYS A WEEK
"It's really important to finish off well," junior defender Afton Sauer said. "We gotta take it one game at a time and not overlook any teams."
week. The Jayhawks converted on scoring chances with ease. They defeated Iowa State 2-0 and shot almost perfectly in a 4-0 victory against Missouri. Kansas scored four goals on only six shots on goal. The six-goal weekend total was the most the Jayhawks have scored in any pair of games this season.
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
The scoring outburst also boosted their status in the Big 12. Kansas broke from the middle of the pack to fourth place.
"We had been having trouble finishing the last couple of games," Francis said, "but scoring six goals was a great boost for our confidence."
Road games are also no longer a worry. Last weekend's pair was the last of the season, and the Jayhawks can now focus on winning their last
leap forward from last year when they were losers in 18 of 19 games. Tech is also coming off a successful weekend. The Raiders didn't win any games, but they tied in their game against first-place Oklahoma State.
Kansas' two victories last weekend came in games that Francis called must-wins. He said the same for the pair of games this weekend and the last regular season game next week.
— Edited by Shanxi Upsdell
Dolinsky
TODAY
athletics calendar
Soccer vs. Baylor, 3 p.m.
Jayhawk Soccer Complex
"YOUR MOM WANTS YOU TO EAT AT JIMMY JOHN'S!"
Player to watch:
Monica
Dolinsky was
named Big 12
Newcomer of
the Week on
Monday for
her action in
last weekend's
games, Dolinsky was involved in all four goals against Missouri; scoring two and assisting on two. She leads the team with six goals overall.
Volleyball at Texas A&M; 6:30 p.m., College Station, Texas
SUNDAY
Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
SATURDAY
■ Soccer vs. Texas Tech, 1 p.m., Jayhawk Soccer Complex
SATURDAY
Football at Baylor, 2 p.m.
Waco, Texas
Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
Women's tennis, ITA Central Regionals, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
School of Pharmacy Health Fair
Friday, October 20 4th floor Kansas Union 9:00am-8:00pm
9:00am - 3:00pm
Free Total Cholesterol Screenings
Free Blood Glucose Screenings
Free Bone-Density Measurements
Free Blood Pressure Measurements
Free Body Fat Analysis
$15 Flu Shots*ⓧ
---
1