005
SPORTS
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005
PAGE 1B
WWW.KAN5AN.COM
MEN'S BASKETBALL
First high school player commits
This time, it's for real.
A day after his father announced that he was coming to Kansas on April 19, Dwight Lewis said he hadn't made a decision yet. Now he's made up his mind: He's going to be a Jayhawk. The 6-foot-5 junior combo guard from Archbishop Rummel High School verbally committed to Kansas yesterday.
The decision came after meeting with his family and high school basketball coach, according to rivals.com.
"I have given a commitment to Kansas," Lewis told rivals.com. "I really made this decision on Monday night. It feels good to get the process over with. I am really excited about the idea of playing for Kansas."
"My parents love and support the decision that I have made," he added. "It's a great opportunity for me. The coaches at Kansas are great, the players are great and Kansas has an excellent tradition."
Lewis told the recruiting Web site that he visited Kansas last week and that his family was pleased with his decision.
He is the 84th-ranked high school basketball player in the class of 2006 and is the 21stranked small forward, according to rivals.com.
Lewis averaged 27 points, nine rebounds and 4.5 assists as a junior, and he was considering Oklahoma and Louisiana State as well as Kansas. He is the first player in the class of 2006 to commit to Kansas coach Bill Self.
— Kellis Robinett
BASEBALL: 5-3
Zach Strauss/KANSAN
Catcher Sean Richardson slides across home plate, scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth inning versus Wichita State last night. The Jayhawks defeated the Shockers, 5-3.
Shocker series split
Schweitzer extends hitting streak to 20
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
WICHITA — The Kansas baseball team (30-21, 6-11 Big 12 Conference) opened last night's game, like it has so many others, on a hitting rally. But, the game turned into a pitchers' duel before the Jayhawks wrapped up the 5-3 victory against the Wichita State Shockers (38-15, 11-4 Missouri Valley Conference).
In the last of four in-state rivalry games this season, the two teams continued their streak of putting on a good show for a crowd full of
Read about a Shocker tradition Jayhawk fans can only dream of on page 4B.
Shocker a n d Jayhawk fans and split the series at two games apiece on the year.
"It was a big win for us," junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer said. "This is a tough place to play."
Hot bats early in the evening caused the lead to shift back and forth before the game stabilized at a tie for much of the night.
Senior catcher Sean Richardson blasted a three-run shot, his fourth of the season, over the left field fence in the top of the first and gave Kansas an early 3-0 lead, giving the
false impression that the game would develop into the expected slugfest.
"It felt good," Richardson said. "It's been a long time since I've done that, so I didn't really know what to do."
The Shockers answered right back in the bottom of the first off the bat of first baseman Derek Schermerhorn, cutting the Kansas lead to two. Schermerhorn went 1-4 and drove in two runs in the contest.
Continuing to chip away at the lead, the Shockers hit two more runs in the bottom of the third. Left fielder Phil Napolitan and second baseman Damon Sublett both scored in the inning and tied the game at three. Napolitan led the Shockers going 2-4 and scoring
"We get the three spot in the first and they tied it up in the third," Kansas coach Ritch Price said. "But we kept competing and we made some bigtime plays defensively."
two of their three runs.
After the first, the generally explosive Jayhawk offense went quiet as freshman left-hander Rob Musgrave (1-0) blanked the Kansas bats through the fifth inning before right-hander Kohl Nanney relieved him.
Musgrave received a no-decision and the dose of bad luck, as he was tagged for three runs in his four innings pitched, and all three were unearned.
"It was frustrating. He tied our guys up pretty good," Price said. "You can tell our guys like the fastball, there's no doubt
about that."
The lajhawks started a freshman of their own in right-hander Tyson Corley (1-0). Corley, who had a previous career high of three strikeouts , sat seven Shocker batters down on strikes and walked only one.
"We're really proud of him," Price said. "The progress he's made in three months is phenomenal. He's got a chance to help us."
Corley hit his stride in the fifth inning, retiring 10 batters in a row during one stretch between the fifth and the seventh innings. Corley allowed just three runs and scattered seven hits in his 62/3 innings of work.
SOFTBALL: 0-3
SEE SERIES ON PAGE 5B
Kansas falls to Missouri
Courtnev Kuhlen/KANSAN
A disappointed Kassie Humphreys, sophomore pitcher, leaves the dugout to shake hands with the opposing team after the Jayhawks loss. Missouri defeated Kansas 3-0 yesterday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark.
Jayhawks face Big 12 tournament
BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@hansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITTER
The Kansas softball team lost to Border Showdown rival No. 18 Missouri yesterday, 3-0, at Arrocha Ballpark.
"It was a curveball, and she did a good job with her hands," Settlemier said. "It was a good job on her part."
Roening was named USA Softball National Player of the Week after helping Missouri take down the top team in the conference, Texas A&M, last week.
Janessa Roening, Missouri right fielder, led the Tigers to victory with a three-run home run off of Serena Settlemier, junior pitcher, in the bottom of the third inning.
She said she had a lot of respect for the Tiger offense, and there was a good reason they were No. 18 in the country.
There was little action throughout the game other than the Missouri homer.
She said the team knew the Tigers were coming in with confidence after a big weekend against the Aggies.
"It was a well-pitched, well-played ballgame," Kansas coach Tracy Bunge said.
The Jayhawks got four hits in the first inning, but they weren't able to capitalize. When they knocked off Missouri on April 13, they leapt out to an early lead, allowing them to settle down.
"Missouri came in with a better game plan." Bunge said.
MISSOURI 3. KANSAS 0
Missouri (37-10)
Leanne Bowers, cf
Janessa Roening, rf
Micela Minner, lf
Jen Bruck, p/dh
Heather Kunkel, ss
Kathy Masterson, c
Alyson Tobye, ph
Amanda Renth, 1b
Amy Henke, pr
Kendra Power, 3b
Jaci Schuyler, ph
Sarah Stringer, 2b
Totals
AB R H RB
2 1 1 0
3 1 1 3
3 0 1 0
2 0 0 0
3 0 1 0
2 0 0 0
1 0 0 0
2 0 0 0
0 1 0 0
2 0 0 0
1 0 0 0
2 0 0 0
2 3 3 6
Kansas (28-20)
AB R H
Heather Stanley, rf 3 0 2 0
Jackie Vasquez, cf 2 0 0 0
Ashley Goodrich, ph 1 0 0 0
Jessica Moppin, 2b 3 0 1 0
Destiny Frankenstein, ss 3 0 1 0
Serena Settlemier, dh/p 3 0 1 0
Nettie Fieros, 3 3 0 0
Elle Pottorf, 3 3 0 0
Nicole Washburn, 1b 3 0 0 0
Ashley Frazer, lf 2 0 1 0
Totals 26 0 6 0
❖ HR: None
Score by Inning R H E
MU 003 000 0 3 6 0
KU 60 000 0 0 6 0
Junior shortstop Destiny Frankenstein, who had one hit in three at-bats, said the team was only
Win: Bruck (15-3)
Loss: Settlerium (12-8)
Save: None
Source: Missouri Athletics Departmer
SEE FALLS ON PAGE 5B
▼ WORDS TO PAPER
JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
Softball loss may decide Showdown
It's amazing what a little Border Showdown will do to get the fans out to an Olympic sporting event.
Not only was last night's 3-0 loss to Missouri the softball team's largest crowd of the season, it also brought out a slew of local athletics stars. Football coach Mark Mangino was there, accompanied by his wife Mary Jane. Linebackers Nick Reid and Kevin Kane, seniors-to-be, showed up with a group of friends. Women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson also came out to support the team.
The crowd of more than 500 saw the Jayhawks play a pretty good game at the beginning and a pretty good game at the end. In fact, if you take away Missouri's third inning, the game was practically perfect.
Kansas had base runners in several innings but missed several opportunities to score. The Jayhawks even managed to accumulate four hits in the first inning without getting a single run across the plate (a double play allowed Missouri to stay out of trouble).
Softball coach Tracy Burge and her team not only squandered an opportunity to put Kansas back in the race for the Border Showdown title, but they also blew an opportunity to show its biggest crowd of fans that it was worth coming out for another game.
"We all know the history, especially since we beat them last time," Kathy McVey, pitcher and
SEE KEALING ON PAGE 5B
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