SPORTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2005
PAGE 1B
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BASEBALL 11-9
Shockers win in slugfest
Courtney Kublen/KANSAN
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Junior outfielder Matt Baty plays into second base as Wichita State's Nick McCoola, senior second baseman, taps him out. Kansas played Wichita State last night at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas came out on the short end of an offensive explosion last night as Wichita State out-slugged the lavahwbs. 11-9.
"We got some hits, but they swung the bats real well and scored more than we did," Kansas junior left fielder A.J. Van Slake said.
After the Shockers (32-12) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Jayhawks responded with three runs. Following a double by junior shortstop Ritchie Price, Van Slyke homered and gave the Jayhawks the lead. Kansas (24-19) added another run in the inning on a double by freshman second baseman Ryne Price, scoring senior catcher Sean Richardson and pushing the score to 3-1.
Wichita State clawed to within one run in the third inning only to see Kansas immediately extend its lead. A sacrifice fly by junior right fielder Gus Milner scored Price and made the score 4-2, and senior first baseman
Mike Dudley singled home Van Silky for a 5-2 advantage.
Kansas senior starting pitcher Mike Zagurski struggled to keep the Shockers at bay. He was relieved in the fourth inning after an RBI triple by Shockers senior utility player Phil Napolitan scored freshman third baseman Brian Spear and sophomore center fielder Blake Hurlbut, cutting the Kansas lead to one run. Freshman Tyson Corley kept Wichita State off the scoreboard the rest of the inning.
The Shockers scored three times in the fifth inning and took the lead. They took advantage of four walks by Kansas pitchers and held a 7-5 advantage. The Jayhawks escaped further damage when freshman third baseman Erik Morrison barehanded a slow roller and threw out Shockers sophomore first baseman Danny Jackson.
The Jayhawks tied the score in the bottom of the fifth on a home run by Milner. The two-run blast was Milner's eighth homer of the season.
Wichita State pitching coach Brent Kemnitz argued with third base mumpire Randy Wetzel.
Temps flared in the fifth when freshman second baseman Ryne Price was hit by a pitch
Wetzel yelled at Kennitz until the other umpires intervened and separated the two.
The two offenses took a
break in the sixth inning before re-igniting in the seventh. Wichita State scored three more times, this time off Kansas junior pitcher Don Czyz. A walk, two singles and a double produced the scoring for the
Shockers and gave them their biggest lead of the night at 10-7
Kansas came back yet again in the bottom half of the inning. RBI singles by junior infielder
SEE SLUGFEST ON PAGE 5B
Wichita State 11. Kansas 9
Kansas (24-19)
Matt Baty, cf 5 0 H 0 RBI
Ritchie Price, ss 4 2 1 0
A.J. Van Slyke, if 2 4 2 2
Gus Milner, rf 4 1 2 3
Sean Richardson, c 4 1 1 0
Ryne Price, 2b 1 1 1
Mike Dudley, b 2 0 1 1
Jared Schwelzer, ph 2 0 1 1
Brock Simpson, dh 5 0 1 1
Erik Morrison, 3b 3 0 1 0
Travis Dunlap, ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 36 9 11 9
HR: Van Slyke (7), Milner (8)
Wichita State (32-12) AB R B H RBI
Phil Napolitano, lf 4 2 2 1
Nick McCoola, ss 4 1 1 0
Derek Schermerhorm, 1b 5 1 3 1
Joe Mulch, c 5 2 0 0
Damon Sublett, 2b 4 0 1 3
Danny Jackson, dh 6 1 2 2
Matt Brown, rf 6 1 1 0
Brian Spear, 3f 3 1 0 0
Blake Hurbturb, cf 4 2 2 1
Totals 41 11 13 9
Score by inning R H E
Kansas: 020 220 00 9 11 13
Wichita State: 101 230 310 11 13 0
Win: Hutson (2-1)
Loss: Czyz (3-2)
Save: Sublett (5)
Source: Kansas Athletics Department
SOFTBALL 2-0
'Huskers shucked out
Ross leads team with help from defense
BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
The Kansas softball team upset No. 24 Nebraska in a Big 12 Conference match-up yesterday in Lincoln, Neb. The Jayhawks were led by Christina Ross, freshman pitcher, who threw a complete-game shutout allowing only three hits.
Ross said she felt good on the mound and mixed up her pitches, keeping Nebraska off balance and striking out five.
"Me and Elle (Pottorf) were really in sync," Ross said of the freshman catcher.
Ross said the shutout was a collective effort with Pottorf behind the plate and solid defensive plays to help her.
Kris Kolden/DAILY NEBRASKAN
With her third shutout of the season, Ross moved to 9-6 on the season. Kansas improved to 20-18 overall and 3-7 in the conference.
"We played with a lot of confidence," coach Tracy Bunge said. "The team expects to win."
The Jayhawks made a fourinning rally and sealed the victory. Destiny Frankenstein, junior shortstop, ignited the offense with a home run. Serena Settlemier, junior pitcher/designated hitter, followed with a single, and Nettie Fierros, junior third baseman, drove her in with a double. Settlemier and Jessica Moppin, junior second baseman, led the team with two hits each.
The Jayahwaks are set to face No. 21 Creighton today in a doubleheader match-up.
"These games have importance for regional terms." Bunge said. "They're a team that finds a way to win."
"We need to have good pitching and hopefully we come out with at least a win tomorrow, if not two," Bunge said.
Bunge said she expected the team to come out competitively and confidently. The coach has said all season that success would begin on the mound.
The Bluejays have defeated the Cornhuskers two times this season.
Edited by Jesse Truesdale
Freshman Christina Ross pitches during last night's game in Lincoln, Neb. Ross pitched a complete-game shutout against the No. 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers and led the Jayhawks to a 2-0 victory.
Kris Kolden/DAILY NEBRASKAN
Kansas junior shortstop Destiny Frankenstein turns a double play as Nebraska shortstop Devin Porter slides into second base. Frankenstein belted a solo home run in the fourth inning for one of the jayhawks' two runs.
Kansas 2. Nebraska 0
Kansas (20-18) AB R H RBI
Heather Stanley, rf 3 0 0 0
Jackie Vazquez, cf 3 0 0 0
Jessica Moppin, 2b 3 0 2 1
Destiny Frankenstein, ss 3 1 1 0
Serena Settlemier, dh 3 1 2 0
Nettie Friars, 3b 3 0 1 1
Elle Pottrot, c 2 0 0 0
Ashley Frazer, f 3 0 1 0
Nicole Washburn, 1b 1 0 0 0
Erik Morrison, 3b 2 0 0 0
Totals 25 2 7 2
HR: Frankenstein
Nebraska (27-16)
Anne Steffan, 2b
Jessica Yochim, 3b
Lizzy Rock, rk
Sheena Lawrence, 1b
Trisha Tannahill, cf
Jamie Walleder, ck
Devin Porter, ss
Katie Linke, dh
Brian Spear, s3
Koko Tacha, lf
Totals
AB R H RBI
3 0 0
2 0 1
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
2 0 1 0
2 0 0 0
2 0 0 0
2 0 0 0
2 0 0 0
23 0 3 0
Score by inning R H E
Kansas 000 200 0 2 7 1
Wichita State 000 000 0 0 3 0
Win: Christina Ross (9-6)
Loss: Ashley DeBuhr (17-14)
Save: none
Source: Kansas Athletics Department
▼ 'HORN BORN 'HAWK BRED
TRAVIS ROBINETT
trobinett@kansan.com
Stars align for Kansas to win North
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
trobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIETER
Remember Northwestern? Kansas had a fourth-quarter lead with less than 7 minutes to go, but the defense did not hold on, and kicker Johnny Beck did not send it into overtime on his game-tying field goal attempt.
The 2005 season will be different. Next year's defense will be the foundation of coach Mark Mangino's squad.
Remember Texas? Kansas had the game under control with a 10-point lead. If it were not for Texas quarterback Vince Young's amazing feet and a questionable pass interference call, Kansas would have held on.
With Charles Gordon, Theo Baines and Rodney Harris in the secondary, teams will find it hard to pass the ball down the field. They combined for 12 interceptions last year, Gordon, sophomore cornerback, had seven, which led the Big 12 Conference and the NCAA. The three also had 138 tackles between them.
Remember Texas Tech? Kansas built up a 30-5 lead only to let the Red Raiders score 26 unanswered points, ending the game.
Last year, the football team was close. The Jayhawks were so close that it still stings when I think about some of the games they could have won, but fell just short.
In 2004, Kansas lost seven games. Six of those games were lost by an average of less than five points.
However good the secondary may end up being, the strength of the defense lies with the linebackers. Nick Reid, Banks Floodman and Kevin Kane are some of the best the Big 12 has to offer. Last year they totaled 225 tackles. Nick Reid led the Big 12 with 109 total tackles. The linebackers helped Kansas become the fourth-best rushing defense in the Big 12 last year and will only improve with another year of experience.
"I liked the way our defense performed," Mangino said after Saturday's spring game. "We covered well, and we were sharp on our assignments and execution. We now have a little bit of depth on the defense."
With a solid defense, the Jayhawks have as good of shot as any team to win the Big 12 North. Last year, the schedule hurt their chances.
SEE STARS ON PAGE 5B