/ SPORTS / MONDAY, MAY 3, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN KANSAN.COM
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA STATE
BASEBALL REWIND
BASEBALL
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Thompson.
But after working a scoreless eighth, senior Travis Blankenship relinquished the lead in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.
An RBI double by freshman indeflier lake Marasco and a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Brett Lisher put Kansas on top again 7-5, only to have its bullpenn fail to hold Oklahoma State – who rallied to tie the score in the 11th before walking off with the 8-7 victory in the 12th innning.
Three layhawk relievers combined to allow six runs in four and 1/3 innings in relief of Selk.
"It's always tough to lose when you think you should have won." Thompson said.
The finish on Sunday featured more of the same.
Poppe left the game with a 3-2 lead, which freshman Thomas Taylor relinquished in the seventh inning as the Cowboys tied the game on back to back hits before taking the lead after a wild throw by Lister.
And after Kansas tied the score after a double by junior right fielder Casey Lytle and a single by Marasco, Blankenship again couldn't contain Oklahoma State, who struck for three singles in the eighth to regain the lead at 5-4.
Coach Price acknowledged that losing junior closer Brett Bochy to an elbow injury was a devastating blow to the bullpen's stopping power, but Kansas needs to be able to overcome.
"The guys that are getting the opportunities late in the game have got to find a way to finish the deal so we can close out victories," he said.
Not only did the Jayhawks' bullpen falter, but their offense was unable to tack on runs despite mounting several promising chances. Kansas left eight men on base in the contest, the most glaring of the missed opportunities being a bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth inning.
"We left some runs on the board and it came back to bite us in the end," coach Price said.
Junior left fielder Jimmy Waters said that although every loss hurts, the two defeats in Stillwater were even more upsetting because the Jayhawks mostly beat themselves
"If they could have beaten us straight up without us making mistakes, then they were better that day. Waters said, "But we shot ourselves in the foot plenty of times."
Edited by Drew Anderson
TJ Walz takes no-hitter against Cowboys into the ninth inning
BY BEN WARD
bward@kansan.com
twitter@dub_dub
Though Kansas' offense put on an impressive display in Friday's 17-3 victory against Oklahoma State, it was junior pitcher T.J. Walz who stole the show.
Walz dominated the Cowboys right from the start and mowed them down over the next seven innings as he took a no hitter into the ninth inning.
But the speedy Duren Davis led off the ninth innings with a ground ball back up the middle of the infield and barely beat junior shortstop Brandon Macias' throw for an infiel single.
"Right when he hit it, I knew he would beat it out." Wale said.
The next batter also reached on a single, and Walz came out of the game just shy of making Kansas baseball history – though his eight no-hit innings are still good enough for a new school record.
"I was disappointed," Walz said. "But I was also kind of relieved because my mom wasn't here, and she would have been really sad that she couldn't see it."
The Cowboys were able to score three in the ninth — two charged
to Walz — denying the junior a shutout. But it wasn't enough to mar Walz' stellar outing.
Walz finished the evening with a season-high 11 strikeouts, and stopped a streak of three straight blowout losses suffered by the lavwhaws.
"When you hand the ball to your best guy he has to go up there and stop the bleeding," coach Ritch Price said. "Tonight, T.J. was absolutely magnificent."
The no-hit-
"When you hand the ball to your best guy he has to go up there and stop the bleeding."
The no-hitter was almost broken up earlier though, were it not for a stellar defensive play by junior right fielder Casey Lytle.
"When I saw Casey caught it, I just threw my arms up. He made a great play." Walz said.
With one out in the fourth inning, Cowbowski catcher/first baseman Kevin David crushed the second pitch Walz threw him to deep right field.
"I thought it was gone for sure."
Walz said.
With the way Walz pitched, the jayhawks wouldn't need much offense — though they delivered plenty of it. Every Kansas starter
But Lytle had a good read on the ball, and leaped at the fence to rob the would-be home run and preserve Walz' attempt at history.
RITCH PRICE Kansas coach
tallied at least one of 20 total hits, including four apiece by center fielder Brian Heere, shortstop Brandon Macias and third baseman Tony Thompson.
At times, the Jayhawk hitters were up at the plate for so long that Walz needed to stay loose, so he said he
"I didn't want to get too stiff" he said.
played catch on the side.
Though his no-hit bid was dashed with only three outs to go, Walz said he was simply happy to deliver a strong effort as part of a much-needed victory for the layhawks.
"All we needed was a win, and I'm glad we got it." Walz said.
Edited by Jesse Rangel
Series to remember
Junior center fielder Brian Heere
Heere, now riding a 10-game hitting streak, currently has the most hits (72) in the Big 12 after a 7-for-17 weekend at the plate. The Lawrence High product was one of three Jayhawks to collect four hits on Friday night. He also scored four runs and drove in five over the weekend.
Series to forget
Heere
Kansas' bullpen
The three Jayhawk starters did exactly what was needed out of them, delivering quality performances in each game of the series. But Kansas' bullpen failed to hold two leads in Saturday's setback, and again faltered in Sunday's defeat.
From the stat book
8-of-16
Cowboys' second baseman Davis Duren did most of the damage over the weekend. Almost every one of his eight hits
causes damage for Kansas, starting on Friday when he led off the ninth with an infield single that broke up Walz' no-hitter. Duren then notched the game-tying RBI single on Saturday before singling home the winning run – and then doubled in the seventh inning on Sunday to again tie the game and negate a Kansas lead.
NBA
In perspective
This is a tough series loss for the Jayhawks, especially after Friday's blowout victory, and losses on Saturday and Sunday where they relinquished late leads. The two would-be victories now have Kansas in dire need of series victories if it hopes to make a repeat run to the NCAA Tournament.
"We've got to treat every game like the playoffs now," junior thru baseman Tony Thompson said.
-Ben Ward
LeBron wins MVP for second straight year
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
AKRON, Ohio  LeBron James went through a litany of names of people who have helped him along the way to winning his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
While it's an individual honor, he couldn't help but thank the group of guys who sat near the stage at the James A. Rhodes Arena on Sunday.
teammates for helping him.
and eventually joined him on it.
James offered much thanks to his
"My name may be on this trophy as MVP, but these guys have a lot to do with it," he said. "Individual accolades definitely come into account, but team is what it's about."
Coach Mike Brown wasn't surprised by the gesture.
"That's just who he is. That's what he's about. He's not selfish at all." Brown said. "He has an understanding of who has helped him get to where he is and he's shown it. It was great seeing his team up there with him today."
James became the 10th player to win the award in back-to-back seasons. He got 116 out of 123 first place votes, winning by a margin of 596 points over the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Duran. It's the widest margin of victory since Shaquille O'Neal won by 799 points in the 1999-2000 season.
James led the Cavs to the best record in the league for a second consecutive season with a 61-21 record and averaged 29.7 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. He was the only player to rank in the league's top 10 in scoring (second), assists (sixth) and steals (ninth).
The most important measurement, however, is wins and losses, and the past two seasons, James and the Cavs have been the league's best. For Brown, it's the camaraderie that James helps to foster during the loose practice sessions and on the road that has been integral in the team's success.
"You have to have a togetherness that it's hard to attain or achieve at this level," he said. "This group has a trust with each other, and that trust level has equated to having pretty good
But even amid all the celebration that was highlighted by the fact that about 3,000 fans attended the almost impromptu event, there was a two-ton gorilla in the room named Free Agency.
chemistry on the team."
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert alluded to it in closing his brief remarks congratulating lames as he took a quick moment to look forward.
"I'm sure we'll be here next year for MV3," he said.
But when asked how he could leave the area given the adoration shown to him over his high school and professional basketball careers, James evaded the answer as easily as he weaves through defenders.
"This is home for me. I love this place. I love Akron, Ohio, to death. Every day I wake up, I understand that I'm not only carrying myself as an individual.
but I'm carrying the city" he said. "No matter where life may head me throughout my whole life, I'm never gone from here."
For now, it doesn't remain a concern or focus for his coach, either. Brown was on the coaching staff with the San Antonio Spurs when the brouhaha surrounding Tim Duncan's alleged flight to the Orlando Magic was a constant cloud over the franchise.
"I'm really not looking past this now," Brown said.
For the here and now, that may be a good thing because it shows focus with a singular goal in mind: winning a championship.
"This is the closest I've been to it right now with the team we have, and we're looking forward to the challenge," James said. "The only reason I do what I do out on the court is to compete for an NBA championship."
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