KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011 / NEWS
LACROSSE
9A
Valuable players graduate
BY BLAKE SCHUSTER bschuster@kansan.com
In the end it wasn't the penalties, which had plagued the 7-6 Jayhawks all season, or the conditioning, which had been a downfall at times, but the lack of offensive production that led to the end of the season and era for Kansas' men's club lacrosse team.
Kansas entered the fourth quarter down 4-3 with a chance to pull off the upset. Instead, the team was stifled by the Illini defense.
The Jayhawks fell to the 12-5 Illinois Fighting Illini 9-6 in St. Charles, Mo., in the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference playoffs Friday night, putting a bittersweet end to the otherwise successful season.
"We just couldn't knock a few goals in." coach Dennis Shults said, "We were shooting well, but they had a great goalie. I thought everything was clicking, but we just never got the shots to fall."
The Jayhawks averaged 11.58 goals per game in the regular season, yet were only able to net six on the illini. Attack Francis Enright; a senior from Winnetka, Ill., and Evan O'Brien, a junior from Overland Park, each had two goals in the contest.
The missed scoring opportunities upset Shults, however, he
was extremely impressed with the defensive showing from his crew.
Kansas started off the game dominating the pace, throwing body checks around, and even knocking two Illini out of the game.
"Defensively we were solid," Shuils said. "We put the hardest hits on people, and were the strongest hitting Jayhawk team that I have seen."
Kevin Munch, Vincent Santucci, Charlie Mullins, Charles Jones, David Curtin, Francis Enright and Nathan Jones will all be graduating this year, leaving some gaps on the depth chart, and many questions for next season.
Even with the season complete, Shults will have to deal with even more losses.
In Enrightt's four years he posted 186 points for the Jayhawks, with 125 of them being goals, and had his best year of his career this season. His 61 points helped guide Kansas to a Division 1AA title and undefeated conference record in the process, making his loss hurt all the more. In planning for a team without Enright, Shults has decided to switch up his system.
"I want to make a few changes in the offense and get more of the guys scoring. I don't think it's gonna be so heavily involved with one person who is carrying the load"
The layhawks also lose a playmaking dynamic in Santucci, and a shutdown defenseman in Kevin Munch.
While the times are changing in the club lacrosse locker room, it is not all negative.
Midfielder Tim MacArthur, a freshman from Tallahassee, Fla., will see ampie playing time next season, as will Tyler Cauble, a freshman from Libertyville, Ill., who had a productive rookie season with six goals, and two assists.
Shults has also stated that he has been in contact with many recruits who he believes will be a big part of the jayhaws division title defense next season.
"I've been emailing some attacks, midfielders and a goalie," Shults said. "We got a hole to with two of our D-Poles.
With a long offseason now in place, Shults and the rest of the Jayhawks will have to wait and see what kind of recruiting class they are able to bring in. With many questions waiting to be answered, next season's tryouts will be an informative day for Shults as Kansas looks to defend its Division 1AA title.
Edited by Emily Soetaert
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 12A)
on first, senior outfielder Brandon Macias went deep hitting a two-run home run tying the game at 7-7.
The Jayhawks' junior closer Colton Murray gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases in the ninth. Needing to throw a strike after two straight balls, Murray threw a hittable pitch that Einsberg got a hold of, and sent out of the ballpark to give Oklahoma the 11-7 win.
Sunday's effort was very different from Friday and Saturday's games, in which the Jayhawks were blown out by the Sooners 12-1 Friday and 11-4 Saturday. The Jayhawks' four
errors Friday and five on Saturday, led to 12 total unearned runs scored by the Sooners.
"That's just baseball, all year we've played pretty solid defense," Macias said. "Errors are going to happen, and its just unfortunate that they happened during this series. They capitalized on every error we made, and made it into something bigger."
Price's feelings about the Jayhawks' defensive performance were much more stern than Macias'.
"That's as bad as two games as we've played back-to-back defensively in the nine years I've been here," Price said.
The sweep drops Kansas to ninth in the Big 12 standings, half a game behind Kansas State — the layhawks final Big 12 opponent. Only the top eight teams in the Big 12 make it to the tournament, so everything will be on the line, in a three-game showdown with the Wildcats.
First though, the Jayhawks must recover from a heartbreaking weekend — a weekend in which Oklahoma delivered the knockout punch, only after the Jayhawks beat themselves up first.
Edited by Samantha Collins
Several missed opportunities for the Cubs after losing to the Reds
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Cubs had several prime scoring chances again Sunday — twice loading the bases — but couldn't come up with a big hit against Johnny Cueto and four Cincinnati relievers as the Reds took the finale of a three-game series 2-0.
CHICAGO — The ivy covering the walls at Wrigley Field is still mostly a winter brown, a sign that full-fledged spring in the upper Midwest has not arrived. The same can be said for the Chicago Cubs' offense. It's yet to blossom.
"There's no magic formula," Chicago manager Mike Quade said, echoing a familiar lack-ofoffense theme for his 15-18 team.
two outs before retiring Castro on a grounder to third.
"He's just not very patient," Quade said of Castro, adding that it's an adjustment time for the young player. "He's just expanding the strike zone too much. As good as he is, guys who pitch at this level will take advantage of that if you're not disciplined enough."
Chicago also threatened in the third when starter Ryan Dempster singled and made it to third on an error by shortstop Edgar Renteria, who made an errant flip to second after fielding Fukudome's grounder. But moments later, Dempster was tagged out trying to score on a grounder to third baseman Miguel Cairo.
Who knows when? Now, the Cubs' young star,21-year-old stopshort Starlin Castro, is scuffling. After an 0-for-4 outing Sunday, he
MLB
"We are losing games because we are not hitting the way we like to."
is 2 for 25 in his last six games.
ARAMIS RAMIREZ Third baseman
Marlon Byrd then reached on an infield single to load the bases, but Aramis Ramirez flied out.
2 is for 25 in its last six games.
Chicago loaded the bases in the seventh. After Alfonso Soriano's leadoff single finished Cueto, Sam LeCure plunked pinch-hitter Reed Johnson and walked Kosuke Fukudome with
Q u a d e said it was a tough play for Dempster to read and that the Cubs want the runner to break to force the action, if there is a chance a double play can be turned. The Reds went to the plate instead, Dempster was an easy out and the Cubs couldn't convert.
"We are losing games because we are not hitting the way we like to," said Ramirez, who is batting. 273 but has only one homer and 12 RBIs in the first five weeks. "We hit some balls hard, but the wind was blowing in."
Ramirez said it's too early to panic or to make major alterations.
Carlos Pena, who homered Saturday in a comeback victory, hit a long shot to the center-field wall in the ninth on Sunday but Drew Stubbs hauled it in.
"If you start changing, you are going to struggle," Ramirez said. "You got to stick. That's what I told Pena today — just keep swinging, keep doing what you've got to do and don't change anything."
Dempster had his second straight strong outing after a shaky beginning. The Cubs' opening-day starter went seven innings, giving up five hits and two runs, one on a solo homer by Stubbs. Dempster had no walks and four strikeouts.
"More quality pitches than he was throwing early on. He just looks more in control of himself, like he's got it figured out," Quade said.
Dempster was encouraged
"Anything is better than the way I was pitching," he said. "I like the way I threw the ball. I didn't walk anybody."
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