6B
SPORTS / MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
KANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH
BASEBALL REWIND
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Freshman pitcher Tanner Poppe hurts the ball in the first inning Sunday at Hogland Ballpark. Poppe went one and two-thirds innings and allowed eight earned runs against in the 21-10 loss to Texas Tec.
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
But then Selik hung a slider, which was pounded over the left field fence, giving the Red Raiders a 2-1 edge in the fourth. The arrival of thunderstorms suspended play until Sunday morning.
When the game resumed, both offenses looked a bit sluggish at the plate until the sixth inning, when Kansas jumped out in front with a barrage of runs.
Junior center fielder Brian Heere launched the first pitch he saw into the scoreboard in right to knot the
game at 2-2. Then, Stanfield ripped a two-RBI single, and freshman infielder Jake Marasco followed with a two-RBI double, giving Kansas the 6-2 lead.
Texas Tech wasted little time pouncing on Kansas' bullpen, retaking the lead with a six-run seventh inning. The Red Raiders scored two runs on a double to left, one more on a single to left-center and then Jeremy Mayo lifted a three-run home run to straight away center field.
The Jayhawks had an answer of their own in the bottom half of the inning. After Heere reached with an infield single, Thompson crushed a two-run shot over the wall in center to tie the score at 8-8.
But the Jayhawks' bullpen once again failed to contain the Red Raiders, who struck for three more runs in the eighth which all but sealed the game, as the Jayhawks went quietly in their final two at-bats.
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To Coach Price, letting Texas Tech back into game two was the pivotal moment of the series, as Kansas had gotten to Texas Tech's ace reliever Chad Bettis.
"Once we had that four run lead off Bettis, we needed to finish game two," coach Price said. "It was crucial that we used him up and didn't give him the lead back — and we weren't able to do it."
In the series finale, it got uglier even faster for Kansas' pitching staff. The Jayhawks were still pitching to contact, only more balls found grassy patches in the outfield instead of their fielder's gloves. Texas Tech took a commanding early lead, pounding freshman Tanner Poppe for eight runs on eight hits in one and 2/3 innings, including seven doubles in a seven-run second inning.
"We were behind in the count to almost every single hitter, and got into power counts where we had to throw fastballs, and they did a nice
Series to remember
Sophomore catcher James Stanfield
Stanfield, who hadn't recorded an RBI since March 26 before Wednesday's victory over Missouri, had at least one in each game of the series. The sophomore went 5-for-10 in the three games with six RBI, two walks and two runs scored.
Stanfield
Series to forget
Kansas' pitching staff
After Walz's effort on Friday, the rest of the Jayhawk pitchers will want to put this series behind them in a hurry. Texas Tech pounded Kansas' bullpen for nine runs on nine hits and game two, and shelled Poppe and company for 21 runs on 24 hits in the series finale.
From the stat book
12
The Jayhawks surrendered a whopping 12 doubles in Sunday's finale, which tied the Big 12 record for two-base hits in a single game.
In perspective
After Friday's convincing victory, the Jayhawks looked to be on the rise in the Big 12 standings. But two losses later and Kansas is right back in the middle of the pack in the conference. Their 6-8-1 record against Big 12 opponents isn't awful, but the Jayhawks need to start winning at least two of three in upcoming weekend series' to solidify their status as a team worthy of making a Regional Tournament.
Ben Ward
job of staying on balance" coach Price said.
The Jayhawks' offense did some damage of their own, getting started with four sacrifice flies before junior shortstop Brandon Macias crushed a grand slam to left-center field in the sixth inning.
Macias came up again with the bases loaded in the seventh, and nearly tagged another one, which would have brought Kansas within one run. But Macias got under the pitch, and despite carrying a bit in the wind, it was caught at the fence.
"It would have been nice, but it happens," Macias said. "The wind just stopped blowing."
"I was trying to blow it out
myself, try to give it a little extra wind," Thompson said.
Even as the Jayhawks cut the lead to 15-10, their bullpen still couldn't keep the Red Raiders off the scoreboard, as they continued to spray hits all over the outfield. After the last outs were recorded, the damage was done and the scoreboard in left showed 21 runs and 24 hits for Texas Tech.
"Hopefully its one of those things where we were out of rhythm a little bit and we'll be able to correct it next time out," coach Price said.
Edited by Drew Anderson
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