4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2007
BASEBALL
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
it's cold. We were hoping it was going to snow tomorrow night before they got here, too. I don't think those Texas boys like the cold weather too much."
GAME NOTE
For the first time in a long time, shortstop Erik Morrison and left fielder John Allman were not in the lineup on Wednesday. This snapped a 58-game starting streak for both juniors.
Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@ kansan.com.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler Kansas 11,
Kansas Wesleyan 4
**Kansas** Wesleyan 000 002 200
— 481
**Kansas** 260 120 00x — 119 3
Guy McGriff, Toby Wright (2), Ryan Smith (5), Casey Barnes (6), Brian Dobyns (7), Shaun Sumter (8) and Steven Cilliad; Wally Marcel, Thomas Marcin (1); Max Harayakawa (7), Max Ellenbecker (8) and Dylan Parzek. w—Marcel 3-2-1. L—McGriff 1-5-5
- None. 2B — KWU: Carlos San-
chez, Andrew Masoj; KU: Brock
Simpson, Parryk. 3B — KU: Kyle
Murphy. HR — KU: Casey Larson,
Simpson.
Records — Kansas Wesleyan 10
21, Kansas 17-18
Freshman pitchers team up for victory
Freshman outfieldier Kevin Bedford flies out to right field in the seventh inning of the game against Kansas Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark. Kansas won the non-conference game 11-4.
BASEBALL
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Games against teams like Kansas Wesleyan don't do much for Kansas' RPI, but they can certainly be confidence boosters for the freshmen.
Coach Ritch Price called the game a "freshman game" and gave three of his freshman hurlers the opportunity for some positive reinforcement.
During the 11-4 drubbing of Kansas Wesleyan, freshman left-hander Wally Marceli, freshman right-hander Thomas Marcin and freshman left-hander Max Ellenbecker all took the mound for the Javhawks.
"Wally needed a start," Price said. "We ran him out there against Wichita State and some of the other national powers like Oral Roberts, so it's good to see him have a chance to go out there and pitch five innings and do well."
Marciel took advantage of his chance to start, tossing five shutout innings, striking out four and allowing only four hits.
Marciel had been off-and-on as of late, giving solid performances against Big 12 competition and struggling against non-conference opponents. In his last four appearances, he pitched a combined three
shutout innings against Oklahoma State and Missouri, but against Northern Colorado and Missouri State, he allowed five runs in 4.2 innings.
"It felt pretty good coming out
strong, throwing the ball for strikes," Marceli said.
Marcin entered the game in the sixth and saw mixed results. While striking out two in 1.2 innings, he also allowed four runs, two of which
Despite the runs surrendered, Marcin showed more control than he had in his two previous outings. In 1.2 combined innings against
earned, on three hits, one walk and two hit batters.
Texas A&M and Northern Colorado, he walked two batters and plunked four more.
"It's good to see Marcin back on the field," Price said. "His bullpins have been good the past couple weeks and he struggled a little bit out there, but I think that's a huge step forward for him."
In seven of Kansas' previous eight games, its pitching staff allowed five or more runs, but Ellenbecker put an end to the skid.
Ellenbecker was the last pitcher Kansas used on Wednesday and he put forth his longest and best performance of the season. He lasted two innings, struck out two and allowed only one hit.
With Marciel and Ellenbecker on track, the team has focused on keeping Marcin's confidence up.
"He knows he's struggling, but he's still working hard out there," Marcel said. "We just keep telling him, 'Don't get frustrated.' You're always going to get frustrated with yourself when you're not pitching up to your potential."
Kansan sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@ kansan.com.
》 MLB
Lopez breaks personal losing streak, leads Denver to victory in his Rockie debut
BY PAT GRAHAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — Rodrigo Lopez turned to the power of positive thinking as he tried to forget about last season and his major league-leading 18 losses.
All offseason, he concentrated on one thing: winning.
"My mind-set was get a win," the Rockies pitcher said.
The approach worked as Lopez allowed six hits in seven innings for his first victory since last Aug.
17 as the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-4 on Wednesday.
Matt Holliday backed him with four hits, including his first home run of the season, and four RBIs.
Lopez's confidence needed a boost in his Rockies debut after he lost his final six decisions last year. Acquired from Baltimore in January for two minor league pitchers, Lopez (1-0) viewed the trade as a new beginning, and he gave up two runs — one earned — struck out five and walked none.
"I know I'm capable of doing this," said Lopez, who threw just 76 pitches. "Being on a different field, in a different uniform, your mind is fresh. You forget about what you've done in the past. You want to be here."
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle never would've guessed this was a pitcher who struggled so much last season that he was moved to the bullpen.
"He pitched very well," Hurdle said. "Big first step for him."
Holliday provided all the offense
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Lopez would need. He had an RBI double in the first, hit a homer in the seventh of Juan Cruz and added a two-run single in the eighth.
After going 0-for-5 in Monday's opener, Holliday had two hits Tuesday night before the big day Wednesday.
8 PM April 5-7
2:30 PM April 8
--he said.
Jack Dempsey/ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I wasn't changing my approach or anything like that," Holliday said. "I just had one bad game."
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Colorado led 4-2 before breaking open the game with seven runs in the eighth off J.D. Durbin, who gave up seven hits in his first big league appearance since Sept. 23, 2004. He left with a season ERA of 94.50.
"I think it's a tribute to a bunch of good hitters, and if you've got a pitcher not making his pitches, this lineup can hurt you," Holliday said.
Arizona manager Bob Melvin couldn't believe what he saw in the eighth.
Colorado Rockies pitcher Rodrigo Lopez throws to the plate against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a baseball game in Denver on Wednesday.
"We were kicking it around, throwing it around and just not playing very well, and it got out of hand at the end," he said.
Yorvit Torrealba and Jamey Carroll each had three hits and Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton added two hits apiece. Helton also drove in two runs.
Doug Davis (0-1) made his Arizona debut and allowed three first-inning runs — all unearned due to two errors by first baseman Conor Jackson. Davis lasted five innings, allowing eight hits and five walks with six strikeouts.
Jackson also lobbed the ball over the head of third baseman Chad
"The bottom line was I got out pitched," Davis said. "The five walks are inexcusable. It can't happen again."
Eric Byrnes led off the second with a home run that hugged the left-field foul pole. Byrnes had two hits and finished the three-game series with seven hits and four RBIs.
After Carroll drew a one-out walk in the first, Davis had him picked off first base. But when Jackson ran at Carroll in the middle of the base-path, Carroll crouched down and Jackson sailed by, missing the tag. Carroll scampered back to first.
Tracy after cutting off a throw home on Helton's RBI single to center, allowing another run to score.
"You don't win many games playing defense like that," Melvin said.
Lopez knows he'll win plenty more games if he pitches the way he did Wednesday, keeping the ball low and mixing his sinker and cutter.
Notes: Colorado's Jeff Baker had a double in the eighth for his third
"Being on a different field, in a different uniform, your mind is fresh. You forget what you've done in the past."
RODRIGO LOPEZ Rockies Pitcher
"I feel pretty good about myself," rolled the other one," Clint said.
straight pinch hit of the season. ... Reliever Jeremy Affeldt rolled both ankles warming up on the mound in the ninth and faced one batter. "I think he rolled the one planting and in trying to set himself
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