4B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2006
MLB
Yankees beat Royals
BY MIKE FITZPATRICK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Gary Sheffield homered and drove in four runs, and Shawn Chacon overcame a shaky start to earn his first victory of the season in the New York Yankees' 12-5 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
Jason Giambi had a pair of RBI doubles, Derek Jeter scored three times and Sheffield finished with three hits as New York tagged Royals starter Jeremy Affeldt (0-1).
The Yankees have scored in double digits three times in eight games this year, plus a 9-7 victory against Kansas City in their home opener Tuesday.
Reggie Sanders homered for the second consecutive day for the Royals, who dropped their 13th straight game at Yankee Stadium — a skid that dates to August 2002.
It is New York's longest home winning streak against any opponent since the Yankees won 19 in a row in the Bronx against the Cleveland Indians from 1960-62.
Chacon (1-1) allowed three runs in the first inning, then settled down. He gave up five runs and seven hits in six-plus innings, striking out five.
Sanders hit a two-run shot in the first, the first time the Royals scored first in seven games this season. Emil Brown added a two-out RBI double, twisting Johnny Damon around in deep center.
Chacon regrouped after that,
retiring 11 of his next 12 hitters.
Handed a 3-0 lead, Affeldt walked his first two batters, a cardinal sin that must have left Royals manager Buddy Bell and maybe even his own fielders stewing.
Sheffield smashed a vicious line drive that nearly nailed 60-year-old third base coach Larry Bowa, who quickly dove to the ground in foul territory just in time. Bowa turned to the crowd
and shrugged his shoulders as Sheffield smiled from the edge of the batters' box.
He drove the next pitch over the left-field fence for a three-run homer that tied the score. It was Sheffield's 451st career homer.
Alex Rodriguez singled, stole second and scored on Jorge Posada's two-out single in the third.
Sheffield added an RBI single in the fourth, and another run scored on Jimmy Gobble's wild pitch.
Kansas City cut it to 5- in the fifth on consecutive BRI doubles by Mark Grudzielanek and Doug Mientkiewicz, but New York got run-scoring singles in the bottom half from Miguel Cairo and Damon.
Giambi's run-scoring double in the sixth made it 9-5.
Jeter had a two-out RBI single in the seventh, a run scored on an error by shortstop Angel Berroa and Giambi delivered another RBI double.
Reggie Sanders follows through on his first inning two-run home run off New York Yankees pitcher Shawn Chacon on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. New York defeated Kansas City, 12-5.
Kathy Willens/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Close call
Nam Y. Hub/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Cubs' Ronny Cadeno is tagged out by Cincinnati Reds first baseman Scott Hatteberg in the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Center signs with K-State
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE — Jason Bennett, a 7-foot-3 center from Jacksonville, signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to play for Kansas State and new coach Bob Huggins.
He chose the Wildcats over Tigers, becoming the first player to join Huggins at Kansas State since he took the job last month.
conviction for drunken driving in 2004.
Huggins turned the Cincinnati Bearcats into a national power during 16 sometimes-stormy years, but he was out of work a year after the school refused to extend his four-year contract rollover following his arrest and
Bennett verbally committed to play at Cincinnati last year but decided to follow Huggins.
"I saw what they did with their big man as far as teaching him and helping him gain weight and get stronger," Bennett said during a signing ceremony at his high school. "Coach Huggins has gotten a lot of players to the NBA. I think he can get another one there."
Bennett averaged 12.5 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks last season and led Arlington Country Day to a second consecutive Class 2A state championship.
"I know I have to improve my offense — my jump shot and my moves in the post," Bennett said. "I feel comfortable with where my defense is, but my scoring has to get better."
Bennett weighs 265 pounds, but said he would like to get to around 300 pounds in college. He also said he may only spend two years at K-State.
"I'm probably going to leave after my second year," he said. "It depends if I like college and it's fun and I'm doing good. Then I might stay another two years and get my degree. But if I leave early, I made a pact with my dad that I would earn my degree in the offseason."