THE UNIVERSITY DIRY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2008
SPORTS
BASEBALL
3B
No rain on team's parade in spring classic
BY SHAWN SHROYER shroyer@kansan.com
The late American cartoonist Al Capp made famous the character Joe Btfsplk in his Li'l Abner comic strip. Btfsplk was known as the "world's worst jinx" and a dark rain cloud for one constantly hung over his head.
Until Sunday, the Kansas baseball team knew how it felt to be Joe Btsplk during last week's Florida Spring Classic in Bradenton, Fla.
The goal for Kansas last week was simple: play eight games in five days in the Florida sun and, more importantly, win those games. However, the Jayhawks were behind the eight ball before they even got to Florida.
"It's been a tough week," coach Ritch Price said. "We had all those flight delays and cancelations and ended up coming in three different groups on Tuesday."
Because of flight delays out of Dallas Tuesday, Kansas played its first game of the week Wednesday without 12 members of the team, and lost 11-9 against Illinois. On Thursday, rain in the Bradenton area postponed Kansas' doubleheader, but the games were eventually played, with the Jayhawks squeaking out two victories against Central Connecticut State and
Dartmouth.
The Big 10 again humbled Kansas on Friday as Ohio State pummeled Kansas 16-5 before Kansas won a low-scoring affair with UMBC, 4-1. On Saturday, more rain completely wiped out Kansas' doubleheader with Northwestern.
But with one swing of the bat Sunday, senior shortstop Erik Morrison chased off the rain cloud that had been hovering over the Jayhawks all week and drove in Kansas' go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. Entering the eighth,
Morrison was 0-for-4, but his clutch single gave Kansas a 12-11 lead over Northwestern (4-8) that - unlike the Jayhawks' previous leads in the
Morrison
game - Kansas (15-9) held onto.
"He had opportunities earlier in the game where he had really bad at-bats, so it was nice to see him put a good swing on the ball, 3-2, and find a way to get a base hit to literally help us win a baseball game," Price said.
Morrison's eighth-inning RBI completed Kansas' comeback from five runs down early in the game.
Floria Spring Classic
How the Jayhawks fared over Spring Break
3/19 vs. Illinois L, 11-9
3/20 vs. Central Conn. W, 7-6
vs. Dartmouth W, 8-6
3/21 vs. Ohio State L, 16-5
vs. UMBC W, 4-1
3/22 vs. Northwestern Postponed
vs. Northwestern Postponed
3/23 vs. Northwestern W, 12-11
Northwestern capitalized on erratic pitching by Kansas junior left-hander Nick Czyz to put the Jayhawks in an early 8-3 hole and jettison Czyz from the game in the second inning. In one-plus inning of work, Czyz allowed seven runs (six earned) on four hits and three walks, hitting one batter and throwing a wild pitch.
Junior catcher Buck Afenir didn't help Czyz's cause, committing a throwing error and allowing one batter to reach on catcher's interference while Czyz was on the mound.
Despite his shortcomings in the field, Afenir made up for it at the plate, batting cleanup for the first time all season. Afenir went 3-for-5 with two runs, five RBI and a home run. His two-run home run in the
top of the fourth gave Kansas a 9-8 lead, its first since jumping out to a 3-0 lead in first inning.
But even Afenir's numbers were eclipsed by Northwestern first baseman Jake Goebbert, who terrorized Kansas pitchers, going 4-for-5 with three runs and six RBI. His two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth regained the lead for Northwestern, 11-9.
"If we can get him to eliminate the absolutely awful at-bats he has during a course of a game, he can be a special player," Price said. "Unfortunately, it's like he has a really good at-bat, and then he has two bad at-bats, and then he has another good one, but that two-run homer he hit today was obviously huge."
Such ludicrous production on offense made it a rough day for pitchers.
Kansas' bullpen allowed four runs in four innings until sophomore right-hander Brett Bollman (2-1) stopped the bleeding with the score tied 11-11 in the sixth. The turning point in the game came when Bollman induced an inning-ending double play in the seventh with Goebbert at the plate.
With the ball finally rolling its way, Kansas took the lead for good in the eighth on Morrison's single. The single came off Northwestern
notes
Ryne Price tops Kansas career home run list. With a two-run home run in the top of the seventh of Friday's game
against UMBC,
senior Price gave his
team the lead and
etched his name in the
Kansas baseball record book.The
Ryne Price
long ball was the 30th of Price's Kansas career, surpassing former Jayhawk Travis Metcalf for first place on the Kansas all-time home runs list. "Definitely the fact that we
needed it pretty bad was the big thing," Price said. "We didn't play very good all week and it gave us the lead and we were able to pull out that win when we really needed it."
SEARCHING FOR MAKE-UP GAMES
Coach Price said he would be on the phone today to reschedule the two games that were canceled Saturday because of rain in addition to the game that was canceled during the North Dakota State series. Price said one possibility was to add a game to Kansas' series with Chicago State, which begins Tuesday at 3 p.m.
right-hander Matt Havey (0-1), who had shot Kansas out since entering the game in the sixth.
Junior closer Paul Smyth entered in the bottom of the eighth for Kansas and finished the game with two perfect innings of relief, clinching the victory for Bollman and his third save of the week.
week." Price said. "I'm pleased with the fact we showed some courage and some life and were able to battle back from behind, but we basically played the entire week from behind."
"Our bullpen was pretty good all
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
PGA
Scotland's Forsyth wins
Madeira Islands Open
SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands — Scotland's Alastair Forsyth overcame a five-stroke deficit in regulation, then beat South Africa's Hennie Otto with birdie on the first hole of a playoff in the Madeira Islands Open.
Forsyth birdied the 18th hole for a 5-under 67 to match Otto (72) at 18-under 273. Forsyth birdied the par-4 18th again in the playoff for his first European tour victory since the 2002 Malaysian Open.
Kraft takes first PGA Tour victory in Puerto Rico RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Greg Kraft won the inaugural Puerto Rico Open for his first official PGA Tour victory, closing with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Bo Van Pelt and Jerry Kelly. Kraft had a 14-under 274 total
on the Trump International Golf Club course, Kelly, at No. 63 the highest-ranked player in the field, shot a 70, and Van Pelt had a 72.
Woods' winning streak continues in weather-delayed tournament DORAL, Fla. —Tiger Woods' unbeaten streak lives another day. Barring a big comeback, it'll live for only one more day. Geoff Ogilvy got to 17 under
through nine holes and held a two-shot lead over Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh at the CA Championship, which won't finish until Monday because of a three-hour weather delay during the final round. Furyk was 15 under through 10, while Singh played nine holes. Retief Goosen and Graeme Storm were three shots back, and Steve Stricker made a huge charge, shooting a final-round 63 to finish at 13 under, four shots back of Ogilvy and tied
with Adam Scott.
with Adam Scott. Play was scheduled to resume Monday when most intrigue will be pointed toward Woods
who was five back with seven holes remaining. World Golf Championship events are some of Woods' favorites, given his 15 wins in 26 previous WGCs. But somehow, at Doral, he's looked mortal. He hasn't lost to anyone in six months, yet when play was halted, he was tied for ninth. Ogilvy's last win was the 2006
U. S. Open. Woods missed the cut that summer at Winged Foot and has been on an absolute tear ever since, winning 16 of his last 26 official PGA Tour events and carrying winning streaks of seven straight appearances worldwide and five tournaments on tour into at Doral, a track where he's prevailed each of the past three years. Unless he pulls off a stirring comeback, all those streaks will end.
Associated Press
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