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SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1995
Sean R. Crosier / KANSAN
Kansas infielder Joe DeMarco awaits a throw to tag out a Washburn centerfielder Carvel Reynoldson. The throw was errant, and Reynoldson was safe. But the Jayhawks erased a six-run ixibod lead to win their 11th game of the season.
Kansas ekes by Ichabods
Jayhawks need timely hitting, trick in 9-8 win
SECTION B
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
A clutch eighth-inning single followed by a sharp pickoff play in the ninth lifted Kansas to a 9-8 win against Washburn last night at Hogtown-Maupin Stadium.
The Jayhawks, 11-22 overall, rallied late to erase a six-run deficit and beat the Icha-bods, who dropped to 21-11. Kansas freshman pitcher Ryan Van Gilder (1-5) threw 42 3/13 innings of scoreless relief, and sophomore Tim Lyons recorded the final two outs for his first save.
"I threw well tonight and got after guys," Van Gilder said. "I worked ahead in the count, and it helped a lot."
Kansas was down 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Kansas sophomore first baseman Justin Headley led off with a
walk and advanced to third base on a single by senior third baseman Brent Wilhelm. As Wilhelm rounded first, Washburn second baseman Tavis Desormiers caught him in a rundown for the inning's first out.
Kansas senior catcher Brandon English followed with a single and drove in Headley to tie the game, 8-8. Sophomore outfielder Stephen Matthews, who came in to pinch run for English, moved to second when senior right fielder Josh Igou grounded out.
Then, Kansas junior second baseman Josh Kliner delivered a solid single to right field and drove in Matthews with the winning run. Kliner said he got a great pitch to hit from Washburn reliever Scott Dial for the same winner.
"It was a fastball low and in," he said. "I just tried to stay loose and relax and got a nice line drive."
Washburn shortstop Luke Pringle led off the ninth inning with a single to center field off Van Gilder. He moved to second on a fielder's choice by center fielder Carvel Reynoldson.
Designated hitter Jeff Stiner followed up with another single, moving Pringle to third with one out. The Ichabods sent in
Dan Brown to run for Stiner, and Kansas brought in Lyons to pitch to first baseman Zach Leonetti.
Lyons ran the count to 2-and-1 with Leontetti, but then used the Busby move to pick off Brown at first base for the second out. The move is named for former Major League pitcher Steve Busby. Lyons sealed the victory by striking out Leontetti.
Kansas baseball coach Dave Bingham credited the use of the Busby move to pitching coach Wilson Kilmer.
"That move doesn't happen that often."
Bingham said. "I have to congratulate Wilson for it. It is a quality move, and it was the first time it has worked for us."
Bingham was also pleased with the work of Van Gilder, who walked two and struck out two in relief of starting pitcher Casey Barrett.
"He's a very talented young guy," he said. "I was real pleased with Ryan. He worked on some things and made better pitches."
Kansas will resume its Big Eight Conference schedule at home at 8 tonight. It will play the first game of a three-game series against Iowa State. Sophomore pitcher Robert Garola (1-2, 4.50 ERA) will start for the Jayhawks.
Kansas 9, Washburn 8
JAYHAWKS (11-22) ab r h rbI
c byFd 3 1 0 0
ss deMarco 4 2 0 1
1b Headley 3 2 0 0
3b Wilhelm 5 2 4 2
c English 4 0 3 3
pr Matthews 0 1 0 0
c Meadows 0 0 0 0
rf Ige 5 0 1 1
2b Hilmer 5 0 3 1
dh Rude 4 0 1 0
lf Turney 4 1 0 0
Totals 39 7 12 8
ICHABODS (21-11) ab r h rbl
if Brock 11 1 1 0
ss Pringle 4 1 2 0
c fryd Nelson 5 2 1 0
dh Stevens 4 2 1 0
pr Brown 0 0 0 0
1b Leonetti 5 2 2 2
2b Hess 2 0 1 1
3b Desormiers 3 0 0 0
c Stoops 3 0 0 0
f Ijury 3 0 0 1
Totals 34 8 9 1
**Kansas**
IP  H  IP  R  ER  BB  SO
Barrett  3.2  7  8  4  1  3
Van Gilder  4.2  2  0  0  2  2
Lyons  0.2  0  0  0  0  1
**Washburn**
IP  H  IP  R  ER  BB  SO
Marsh  5.1  7  6  3  2  5
Dial  2.1  5  3  2  3  1
Rodriguez  0.1  0  0  0  0  1
E Desemisoni 2, Dial, Pringle, Ikran,
Wilhelm II 2DP Kansas 1 LOB Kansas
11, Washburn 6 B 2Hes, Leonettii 2,
Reynoldson HR Wilhelm (5) SB
Leonetti, Reynoldson, DeMarco,
Headley, Mathews, Rude.
Teams hope to net wins against'Buffs
By Robert Moczydlowsky Kensean sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas tennis Big Eight Title Express will make its last homecourt stop Sunday, when the Kansas tennis teams play the Colorado Buffaloes on the Allen FieldHouse Courts
Both Jayhawk teams are rested, and their coaches are ready for play.
"We're ready to take them on," Kansas women's Chair Chuck Methodek.
said. "They're the next toughest team in the conference, and they've been playing very well lately.
"We want to play 'cause we're hungry for the title."
The Colorado women bring a 13-2 record into Sunday's match, and Kansas is forced to play without one of its key players.
Freshman Christie Sim will sit out the remainder of the Big Eight matches to heal a stress fracture on her left leg.
Sim's absence doesn't worry Merzbacher, however.
Freshman Maria Abatjoglou and junior Kim Webster have been red-hot off the bench, and the 10-11 Jayhawks have ridden their hot streak to a 3-0 conference record.
"We played OU shorthanded, and we really played well," Merzbacher said. "I was elated after the OU-OSU weekend. Maria really played well.
"I think it's a compliment to this team that we were able to step up and win."
Abatjoglou said that she felt some pressure in her new role but that her recent wins had eased her worries.
"I just feel really good about myself right now," she said. "I'm not focusing on my record, though. I can't afford to get a big head. I just want to focus on the next match and really play."
Kansas men's coach Michael Center also is looking forward to the weekend's match. His team, ranked No. 14 in the nation, is 14-7.
"We played this Colorado team in the regional finals this fall," he said. "It was a tight match, but we beat them. They've got a good team. They were Big Eight champions two years ago. We'll be ready to go."
Sunday's match may not be the last match of the year for the Kansas men's team to play at home. Allen Field House recently was announced as the site of the Region V NCAA championship qualifying tournament. If the season were to end today, the Jayhawks would be the tournament's host and its No.1 seed.
Qualifying for the NCAA tournament will be a tougher task for the Jayhawk women. The top 20 teams in the final Rolex Rankings are invited to the post-season tournament. The Jayhawks are ranked No.33.
"Right now I'm not concerned about the rankings," Mierzbach said. "I just want us to improve. All we can do is keep winning. We don't have any bad losses, and all of our losses are to top-25 teams. We'll see what happens."
"We've got to get to the business at hand, though, and that is winning the Big Eight title."
BRIEF
Racquetball team takes highest place in championships
Kansan staff report
The Kansas racquetball team placed 10th in the American College Racquetball Association National Intercollegiate championships, held March 29-Apr. 2 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The women's team finished sixth, despite having only three players. Stephanie Munger, Anchorage, Alaska junior, placed second in the nation and just missed All-American honors with a loss to Christie Alpine of Brigham Young.
The 10th-place finish is the team's highest ever. In 1994, the Jayhawks placed 12th in the event. Thirty-seven teams competed in this year's tournament, including Big Eight squads from Colorado, Missouri and Oldahoma.
The Kansas men's team finished 18th. No.4 seed Kristian Aspelin, Wichita junior, advanced to the quarterfinals by upsetting the No.1 seed in the men's division. Brannon Hertel, the No.1 seed on the Jayhawk team, finished third in the consolation bracket after losing to James Mulcock of Stanford.
Additionally, the doubles team of Bunn and Munger advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to a team from North Texas.
Cristy Mayfield, Hutchinson senior, finished fourth at the tournament, and women's No. 1 seed Darcy Bunn, Shawnee senior, lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion.
Men's No. 3 seed David Goldhammer, Lawrence graduate student, took first place in the consolation round: No. 6 seed Kevin Yusman, Chesterfield, Mo., senior, was the final men's medal-winner with a fourth-place consolation finish.
Richins imitates sister's softball success
Edmee Rodriguez / KANSAN
Kansas sophomore Heather Richins fields a ground ball at her second base position. Richins and the Jayhawks open a four-game series at Nebraska tomorrow. Richin's sister, Lori, played for the Cornhuskers from 1984 to 1988.
Sibling's alma mater to challenge 'Hawks By Jenni Carlson Kansas sportswriter
For most of the Kansas softball team, taking on Nebraska this weekend means taking on the No. 12 team in the nation.
Richins will be facing the program where her sister, Lori, made her mark. From 1984 to 1988, the elder Richins played second base for the Cornhuskers, going to the College World Series four times and earning All-American and Academic All-American honors.
But for sophomore Heather Richins, who plays second base, the coming four games mean a little more.
But Richins didn't want to follow her sister to Nebraska. And even with Lori's success there, Heather said she never felt pressured to don Cornhusker red.
"She was awesome in everything she did," Heather recalled. "I looked up to her quite a bit. I wanted to be just like her."
Instead, she set out to make her own mark at Kansas.
And what a mark she has made.
As a freshman, Heather led the Jayhawks with a .312 batting average.
She also led the way in almost every offensive category, including doubles, triples, hits, runs and stolen bases.
Richins helped solidify Kansas' defense as well. In starting all 57 games during the season, she committed a mere 12 errors.
"She was awesome in everything she did. I looked up to her quite a bit."
Heather Richins
Meather Nicins
Kansas infielder on her sister, Lori
Those combined statistics netted the younger Richins first team AllBig Eight Conference and first team Midwest All-Region honors.
With a freshman season like that, expectations can soar. Heather said she talked to her sister about the pressure.
"Freshman year I was going crazy," Heather said. "She knew exactly what I was going through. She calls me quite a bit. I think she does think about me quite a bit."
But Lori must think about her little sister while on the road in California, where she has been working as a highway-patrol officer for about six months.
And there is little doubt in Heather's mind that Lori will think about her sister when Kansas takes on her alma mater this weekend. The two teams will play games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow and then at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All four games will be at Jayhawk
Field.
The Cornhuskers are one of the most improved teams in the Big Eight this year, Kansas softball coach Kalum Haack said. They are 22-12 and have a .291 batting average.
"In the past, you could just about count on four wins against Nebraska," he said. "Now, they think they can beat anybody, and they're just about doing it, too."
The change in the Cornhuskers has come with the addition of junior pitcher Stacie Stafford. She transferred to Nebraska from Sierra Community College in California and has a 13-6 record this season with two saves.
"They just needed that little extra something." Richins said.
That little extra something may be exactly what the Jayhawks are searching for right now.
Kansas has won just two of its last 10 games, leaving Haack and his olivers searching for answers.
"It's hard to explain," Kansas junior Katie Morgan said of the Jayahawks' recent troubles. "We have so much potential out here, and everybody's trying their best. It just doesn't seem like we're coming together as a team."
Haack said his team would need to improve all facets of its game to compete with Nebraska.
"We're just not a very consistent ball club right now," he said after Kansas split a doubleheader with Wichita State on Wednesday. "It scares the hell out of me when we've got Nebraska coming in this weekend."