6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
more second baseman Robby Price to move up to third.
Two more batters later, with the bases loaded, senior right fielder Ryne Price drove in a run the hard way, getting beaned by a Mathlason pitch. Kansas tacked on four more runs in the inning, extending its lead, 11-5.
I've been here."
Those six runs came on only three Jayhawk hits in the inning. One of the three hits came from senior shortstop Erik Morrison, who led Kansas with a season high three hits and three RBI in the game. Morrison's production at the plate helped make up for three errors in the field.
"I'm struggling with the glove, so it's definitely good to be successful in the other aspect of the game," Morrison said. "I think I'm just sitting back on the ball too much and not really going after the ball, being the aggressor. That was by far my worst day of fielding in the four years
Junior left-hander Sam Freeman, who had won his first two starts as a Jayhawk, couldn't escape the second inning as he struggled to find the strike zone. With scouts in the stands to watch him pitch, Freeman surrendered five runs, four earned on four hits and three walks with no strike-outs in an inning-plus of work.
Despite Kansas's six-run lead midway through the game, North Dakota State threatened early and late to steal the final game of the series.
Swinging hot bats early on, the Bison led 2-0 after their first at-bat and 5-4 after their second.
But when Kansas handed the ball to senior right-hander Andres Esquibel (1-0), North Dakota State's bats quickly cooled. In six innings of relief, Esquibel shut the Bison out, and allowed only two hits and a walk while rikking out three.
"I just wanted to go in there and
pick up Sam. He kind of had a rough day," Esquibel said. "Us pitchers, we all have days like that, so I just wanted to go in there and give the team a chance."
When Esquibel left the game after the seventh, though, North Dakota State nearly climbed back into contention with a run in the eighth. In the ninth, the Bison scored another run and loaded the bases on senior right-hander Matt Lane before Kansas turned to junior closer Paul Smyth for the second straight day.
North Dakota State brought home two more runners Lane allowed to reach, but Smyth eventually nailed down his second save of the season.
"I think it was good for him to have to come into that situation and have to try to find a way to get a couple left-handed hitters out because that's what he really struggled with a year ago." Price said.
Edited by Sasha Roe
game one of the double-header highlights
Kansas 13, North Dakota State 0
Winning pitcher
Nick Czyz (1-2)
Losing pitcher -
Jake Laber (0-2)
» Bottom 1st: Senior right fielder Ryne Price singles to center field to drive in sophomore second baseman Robby Price, giving Kansas a 1-0 lead.
» Bottom 2nd: Junior catcher Buck Afenir, back in action for the first time since Feb. 29, led off the inning with a home run to left-center field. The home run, which gave Kansas a 2-0 lead, was the first of the season for Afenir, who missed the previous week with a pulled hamstring.
» Bottom 4th: Kansas batted around, parlaying three walks, a hit by pitch, two wild pitches – including one on a third strike
- and two hits into six runs, extending its lead to 8-0. North Dakota State coach Tod Brown was ejected from the game in the inning.
» Bottom 5th: Freshman third baseman Tony Thompson led off the inning with a single to left-center field and moved to third base on a single by senior designated hitter Joe Southes. Thompson scored on a double play to give Kansas a 9-0 lead.
> Top 6th: Junior left-hander Nick Czyz got out of a bases loaded jam, recording his 10th and 11th strikeouts of the game and preserving the shutout.
Czyz came out after the sixth allowing only four hits and two walks in six innings. Czyz's 11 strikeout performance was the first for a Kansas pitcher since Mike Zagurski had 11 against South Dakota State, Feb. 18, 2005.
> Bottom 6th: Freshman pinch hitter Greg Herbst singled up the middle, plated freshman pinch hitter Casey Lytle and gave Kansas a 10-0 lead. Kansas tacked on three more runs in the inning, and batted around once again.
» Top 7th: Sophomore righthander Thomas Marcin secured the 13-0 victory for the Jayhawks, and recorded the final three outs of the game.
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baseball notes
MARKS UPDATE
"I feel good that he is back. Obviously, he is one of our best offensive players and makes our lineup stronger when he is there," head coach Ritch Price said.
With his pitchers valuing the defense he brings to the table, Afenir is also a force to be reckoned with at the plate.
knows exactly what I want to throw and he came in with me, so I felt comfortable with him behind the plate today."
Throughout his career as a Jayhawk, injuries have not affected Afernir and this injury doesn't look like it will slow him down.
"I was trying to keep him in around nine innings so he wouldn't be sore this week," Price said. "I think he had been a little tender this week in practice and I think his mobility was actually better than I expected."
RAINOUT MAKEUP
It doesn't look like junior lefthander Andy Marks will reach his personal goal of pitching in the Texas series next weekend. Coach Ritch Price said Marks, who's recovering from a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, wasn't close to pitching this week. However, Price said Marks would travel with the team to its tournament in Florida over spring break, so he could make his first appearance of the season there.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Price said he planned on finding a makeup game to replace the game Kansas lost from its schedule over the weekend because of snow. Price said, if possible, the makeup game would be against a Division 1 team.
The area where the Kansas baseball clubhouse will sit, near the first base bathrooms at Hoglund Ballpark, has been blocked off for construction. Some parking spaces in Lot 125 have been reserved for construction March 10 through March 14.
After being out since Feb. 29 with a hamstring injury, junior catcher Buck Afenir put a ball into orbit his first plate appearance back. Afenir hurt himself attempting to get a triple and has been on the shelf ever since.
Afenir's first homerun of the year brought his average to .409 for the season and helped spark the Jayhawks to a 13-0 victory in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
BASEBALL
"It's awesome. I love throwing to Buck, he is a great catcher," junior pitcher Nick Czyz said. "He's really good on the mound when he comes out and talks to me. He
"I have been waiting a week and I was just foaming at the mouth," Afenir said. "I think I'm back to 100 percent. I felt real comfortable behind the plate."
Catcher returns, hits first home run of season
The Escondido, Calif., native hit .286 last year with eight homeruns and started 43 games behind the plate. Buck's dependability is an element that the Jayhawks hold him accountable for because he allows senior Ryne Price to play right field and the Jayhawks to have the strongest possible lineup.
The Jayhawks will face Tabor Tuesday and Missouri State Wednesday before traveling to Austin for a series against the Texas Longhorns. Afenir will be needed on both sides of the ball if the Jayhawks are going start off the Big 12 season on a good note.
BY TYLER PASSMORE
tpassmore@kansan.com
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
NCAA
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Barry Hinson, who failed to take Missouri State to the NCAA tournament in nine seasons, was fired on Sunday.
Hinson had anticipated the move, which came two days after a 63-58 loss to Illinois State in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley tournament. In a release, the school said it had "reached an understanding that the program needs to go in a different direction."
NCAA Missouri State coach Barry Hinson fired on Sunday
Hinson was 169-117 and produced four NIT berths. His contract calls for a cancellation payment of $150,000, and the contracts for his assistants expire on June 30.
Rowe said a search for a new coach will begin immediately. He said the university will enhance the compensation package to be more
"We have talked with coach Hinson in recent weeks, and it has become apparent to all of us that it is time for a change." Athletic Director Bill Rowe said. "We very much appreciate everything coach Hinson, his family, staff and his players have done for Missouri State."
Hinson had consecutive 22-win seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, with top-40 RPI ratings both seasons, but Missouri State was not selected to play in the NCAA tournament. Those snubs may have cost Hinson his job.
competitive in the conference.
"In the postgame press conference, I quoted Harry Truman who said, 'The buck stops here,' Hinson said in a statement. "I was unable to deliver an NCAA tournament berth, and the buck stops with me.
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