THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008
SPORTS 11B
SOFTBALL
Jayhawks return 1-1 from away-game series
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH kbreckunitch@kansan.com
The University of Kansas softball team continued its streak of six consecutive away games in Waco, Texas, during the weekend.
The Jayhawks won the first game on Saturday. Freshman right fielder Liz Kocon carried the team with a grand slam in the seventh inning to earn the team a 6-1 victory against Baylor. Junior pitcher Valerie George continued her strong season, allowing eight hits but giving up only one unearned run. Junior center fielder Dougie McCaulley and junior third baseman Val Chapple also helped the team, both having two hits and a RBI in the game.
Coach Tracy Bunge said Kocon's performance was huge in the first game. She said the Baylor hitters had been challenging George all day, and the extra run support from Kocon's grand slam was a big boost. "The difference mentally in going into the bottom of the seventh with a one-run lead versus a five-run lead is huge." Bunge said.
The second game did not turn
out so well for the team. It managed only four hits and one run, while Baylor exploded with six runs in the fourth inning to lead the Bears to a 8-1 victory. Baylor's senior first baseman Jordan Daniels lifted the team with three hits and four RBI in the game. Kansas' sophomore first baseman Amanda Jobe drove in the only run for the Jayhawks.
Bunge said the team gave Baylor too many chances, especially in the fourth inning. "They got some clutch hits, they got some big hits that inning, and we didn't shut the door." Bunge said.
Bunge said the team needed to focus on playing a complete series, and that would be something they'd definitely have to focus on heading to Arkansas. "We have to play 14 innings," Bunge said.
The Jayhawks move to 29-10 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. The Jayhawks play in Fayetteville, Ark.. on Thursday. "We can't assume that they're going to give us anything." Bunge said. "We have to go out, and we just have to play really tough, intense softball."
MLB
— Edited by Katherine Loeck
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Boof Bonser delivers against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday in Minneapolis. Royals won 3-1.
Royals defeat Twins; best start since 2004
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — The Kansas City Royals got off to a fast start, even with a first week on the road against AL Central rivals.
Brett Tomko pitched five shutout innings, Alex Gordon hit a two-run single that put Kansas City ahead in the second inning, and the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 3-1 Sunday.
Kansas City finished its opening trip to Detroit and Minnesota 4-2, its best start since 2004. The Royals had only three winning trips last season, none until a 6-4 swing to the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and Colorado from May 11-20.
"If you would've told us wed be 4-2 after starting at Detroit and Minnesota, we probably would've taken it," catcher John Buck said.
New manager Trey Hillman's bullpen received much of the credit after Sunday's game. Royals relievers have allowed two runs in 17 innings thus far.
Minnesota, which added Delmon Young, Mike Lamb and Brendan Harris, has scored more than four runs only once and has hit into 11 double plays.
"The bullpen's been great," Tomko said. "To come in and just give up a run in four innings, I'm sure Trey will take that any day of the week. Shoot, to have a good bullpen as a starter, to go five or six innings and you know those guys are going to come in there and shut the other team down, it makes our job a lot easier."
"We have to score more runs," infielder Matt Tolbert said. "We're playing hard, having good at-bats. It's just we have to score more than one run to win."
Making his first start of the season, Tomko (1-0) allowed six hits, struck out three and walked one. He began last year with six scoreless innings of one-hit ball for Los Angeles against Colorado, but finished a combined 4-12 for the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
"You just don't want to give in and have a big inning happen, so I just
kept trying to battle guys," Tomko said.
Joakim Soria struck out the side in order in the ninth for his third save, capping four innings of two-hit relief that included stints by Ron Mahay, Leo Nunez and Jimmy Gobble. Minnesota's only run came in the sixth when Justin Morneau homered for the second straight game.
》BASEBALL
Pitching falters; losses continue
BY SHAWN SHROYER shroyer@kansan.com
Sitting at the bottom of the Big 12 standings and facing a slumping Baylor squad, this weekend was supposed to be Kansas' opportunity to maneuver its way up the conference standings.
However, the Jayhawks' series with the Bears proved to be the exact opposite.
With a 17-7, seven-inning victory on Sunday, Baylor (19-11, 6-6) finally looked like the nationally ranked team it was at the beginning of the season, completing its weekend sweep of Kansas (19-16, 1-8). The loss marked the Jayhawks' sixth in a row in Big 12 play and dropped coach Ritch Price's club to last in the conference.
— if we won one of the first two
— to win the series," said Price,
whose team was outscored 33-16 by Baylor. "We caught them
at a time when they're peaking.
They're the best team we've played
so far all year."
"We went on the road, and our goal was to win a game and
After losing the first two games of the series, Kansas' only hope was to salvage the series finale yesterday. But the Bears extinguished all hope early on.
Facing Kansas junior left-hander Sam Freeman (4-1), Baylor put up seven runs before Freeman was removed after recording just four outs. For the second straight Sunday, Freeman failed to reach the third inning. In the process, his ERA continued its ascent from 6.75 to 8.59.
"By putting him in the bullpen, it gives coach (Ryan) Graves more time to work with him and see if we can improve his mechanics and get him back in the strike zone a little bit better," Price said.
Freeman has been struggling with his mechanics as of late and, after Sunday's performance, he will likely move to the bullpen and be replaced in the weekend rotation by freshman right-hander T.J. Walz.
But Freeman isn't the only starter who's struggled for Kansas as of late. For the weekend, Kansas got a total of 9.2 innings out of its starters, who were pounded for 15 runs. However, junior left-hander Nick Czyz pitched 4.1 of those innings and allowed just one of those runs Friday.
Conversely, Baylor got 18.2 innings out of its starters, who gave up 11 runs. Sunday, right-hander Willie Kempf (5-1) allowed three runs over 5.1
innings en route to victory.
Walz entered in the second inning for the Jayhawks, but couldn't close the floodgates the Bears had opened up.
Walz surrendered two runs before escaping the second and two more runs in the third before throwing a scoreless fourth inning — the only inning in which Baylor didn't score. However, in the fifth, Walz allowed the first two batters to reach, prompting Price to throw up the white flag and bringing in senior right-hander Matt Lane.
Two batters into Lane's appearance, Baylor shortstop Beamer Weems teed off for his fourth home run of the season to give the Bears a 13-2 lead. With the game all but over, both coaches began to clear their benches to give their substitutes some playing time.
Freshman shortstop Zach Thoma throws to first base for an out. After Sunday's 17-7 loss to Baylor, Kansas sits at 19-16.
Weston White/KANSAN
Kansas' offensive highlights centered around senior shortstop Erik Morrison. With one on, two out and a 3-0 count in the top of the fourth. Morrison had the green light, sending his third home run of the season to left field and putting the Jayhawks on the board. Morrison had been 0-for-6 in the series entering that at bat.
The one-man wrecking crew wasn't finished, though. Morrison capped off a four-run inning in the seventh with his second home run of the afternoon. The home run brought the Jayhawks within 10 but, with the run rule in effect, it wasn't enough to prolong the game.
"Erik had a really tough weekend until today," Price said. "I actually gave him the green light on 3-0 on the first home run he hit, trying to get him started. He raided that one out of the stadium
and hit the second one good. He's a streaky hitter, so hopefully that'll get him started."
Edited by Daniel Reyes
4