Sports
Thursday, April 17, 1986
University Daily Kansan
13
Decathletes, heptathletes open 61st Kansas Relays
University of Kansas high jumper Andrea Schwartz hits the bar as she attempts the first day of the 61st Kansas Relays yesterday afternoon in Memor a 5-foot-2 jump. Schwartz tied for sixth place in the women's high jump during Stadium.
Tyma meets goal after rough beginning
By Dawn O'Malley
Sports writer
Saturday.
After finishing with disappointing marks in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump, the first two events yesterday of the Kansas Relays women's heptathlon, Jaci Tyma of Kansas promised herself a burger after the next event — the shot put.
shoe put.
Tyma got the hamburger on one condition — that she put the shot at least 11 meters.
"My goal was 11 meters in the shot," Tyma said. "If I got that I was treating myself to a Vista Burger. My strong events are tomorrow."
Kansas Relays
Not only did Tyma get a hamburger, but also she captured a personal best in the shot put with her throw of 11 meters, which is 35 feet.
The heptathlon is a two-day event. On the first day, the women compete in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and the 200-meter dash. On the second day, they compete in the 800-meter javelin throw and 800-meter run.
000 meter run.
"I am surprised I did so poorly," Tyma said. "I wanted to get a real
good start. It is time to start competing now. I'm ready to run now."
Tyrna ended the day with a win in the 200-meter dash in 25.98 seconds, another personal best. She did it with her rest after the shot put was finished.
Liz Barringer of Southeast Missouri State sits in first place, with 2,923 total points. Bradley S Charlene Dewey is second, with 2,859 points and Sharon Newcomer of Wyoming is third, with 2,807 points.
Tyma is in fourth place, with 2,792 points. Kansas' Coleen Richem and Andrea Schwartz are in seventh and eighth place.
Each of the three Kansas heptathletes had at least one personal best during yesterday's competition.
best touring yesterday's
Schwartz set personal bests in all
forces on the hurdles in
16.38, jumped 5.2% in the high jump,
put 30.7% in 5% in the top, and tapped her
day off by running 26.64 in
the 200-meter dash.
"I'm having a lot of fun," Schwartz said. "The weather is really nice, and I am doing my bests of the year. I am feeling very happy." Myarks. I am looking at it personally."
it placed Tyma and Richert finished tied for eighth in the high jump. They each jumped 5-1/4.
KC's Saberhagen fires 2-hit shutout
The Associated Press
BOSTON — "Coming off a horrible spring," said Kansas City ace Bret Saberhagen. "I was concerned whether I could go a strong seven."
Saberhagen, who pitched just 12 innings in spring training because of a See related story. p. 16.
sore shoulder and a virus, can forget about past problems.
The 1985 American League Cy Young Award winner fired a two-hitter and outdued Boston's Al Nippey yesterday as the Royals edged the Red Sox 1-0 on Steve Balboni's second-inning home run.
"This was good, I feel pretty strong and I have no more control problems." Suberhagen said after striking out six, walking one and facing just 29 batters in a 120-pitch performance.
"I concentrated on 1-2-3," the young right-hander said. "It's good to go out there and throw strikes. I used to be bulky and bally and pretty good breaking stuff."
"You can see why he won everything in sight last year, pitching-wise and award-wise." Boston Manager John McNamara said. "He was at the top of his game. He got everything over the plate and
Boston slugger Jim Rice said, "You don't win the Cy Young on one game, but when you get beaten 1-0 you have to give the guy credit. He was around the plate all day, and we didn't get anything going."
had a purpose with every pitch. He didn't make a mistake."
Nipper said, "You got to tip your hat to him. He threw an outstanding game. We were beaten by a good pitcher. He shut the door."
Balloni's second home run of the season leading off the second was all Sabherhagen needed for his first victory of the season and third career hit.
Saberhagen, a 20-game winner last season who went on to become the World Series most valuable player, allowed only singles by Tony Armas with two out in the second and by Don Baylor leading off the fifth. Neither Arnas nor Baylor advanced beyond first.
The only other Boston runner was Wade Boggs, who walked in the fourth and was erased as Rice got on his third double play in eight games.
---
Saberhagen, who turned 22 on Friday, lasted less than six innings in his 1968 debut against the New York Yankees last week.
KU's Branstrom is second after one day of decathlon
By Matt Tidwell Sports writer
Kansas decathlete Craig Branstrom trails Tennessee's Doug Hendrick by only 145 points after yesterday's first day of competition in the 61st Kansas Relays at Memorial Stadium.
When the day was finished,
Hedrick, who went to high school at
Shawne Mission East, had won
three events. Branstrom had won one.
He Hedrick finished with 3,876
points to Branstrom's 3,731.
points of Downers Grove,
John Schweepier, from Southeast
Missouri State, is third with 3,667
points.
points:
Perfect track weather greeted 15
participants when the event began at
10:30 a.m. yesterday.
Branstrom, a sophomore, said he liked his chances of both winning the meet and scoring the 7,450 points it would take to qualify for the outdoor nationals.
One decathlete who was expected to do well, Greg Culp from Houston, who was competing unattached, dropped out after two events.
"I think I have some of my best events ahead of me," Branstrom said. "We're starting off with the 110-meter hurdles, and that's a good event for me. If I do well in that one it could keep me going all day."
branstrom's first place finish came in the high jump where he leaped 6-feet;7-1/2 inches.
The decathlon consists of 10 events over a two-day period. Yesterday, the athletes competed in the high jump, 400-meter dash, 100-meter dash, long jump and shot put. Today they will compete in the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1500-metre run.
Catching Hendrick will be difficult,
Hedrick, who was the top high school
performer at the 1983 Relays, was
strong in every event. He finished
first in the 100-meter dash (12.14
seconds) and in the 400-meter
and 600-meter dash (49.73 seconds).
Kansas Relays
"I looked at the competition before we started and I knew it would be tough," Hedrick said. "I was surprised he (Culp) dropped out because I thought he might be the toughest guy to beat."
to be Hedrick said he had been able to take the lead by performing well in what had been weak events for him.
Brantstrom, who eclipsed Nolan Cromwell's Kansas freshman point total last year, said his biggest goal for national players is high enough to qualify for national
"I think it's attainable," Branstrom said, "but it will be hard. Second day points are usually hard to come by."
"In the shot put I hit my personal record twice," Hedrick said. "I was real happy about that."
Men's head coach Bob Timmons said he hoped Branstrom's big first day performance signaled good ahead for Kansas this weekend.
"I think Craig's got some of his best events ahead of him." Timmons said. "We certainly had an ideal day for him. We're also happy that Hedrick is doing well. We were really ready to get him back to the Relaxs."
The decathlon continues today at 11 a.m. with the 110-meter hurdles as the first event.
KU can't survive 15-run 7th inning
Sports writer
By Jim Suhr
Wichita State drilled two home runs, including a grand slam by designated hitter Rick Olivas, that powered the Shockers to a 15-run seventh inning and an 18-6 win over the Jayhawks in a non-conference game in Wichita last night.
The Snockers scored their 15 runs on 13 hits off of five different Javahawk pitchers in the inning.
Wichita State, which had been ranked in the top 20 all season and as high as eight until being knocked out of the poll Monday, improved its record to 27-10. Kansas dropped to 20-24.
The Jayhawks added two more in the fourth inning on a two-run triple by second baseman Geno Nebbitt. The Jays held the No. 1 rbi bats in five at bats and three RBI.
Rich McIntyre, one of four Shocker pitchers used in the game, got the win. He is 7-0. Kansas' John Quinn took the loss. His record fell to 2-4.
Kansas jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning. The Jayhawks scored on a one-run single by right field at third, and the Gary out by shortstop Gary Lang.
Baseball
But Kansas played musical pitchers in the seventh innning, Quinn gave up the first three runs, including two on a home run by Shawn Headley. He was relieved by Curt Befort, who walked three consecutive batters before giving way to Paul Henry. Henry gave up a three-run triple, a walk, a double and a single. John Schneider followed Henry and gave up seven runs, including Olivas' grand slam home run.
Kansas returns home to face Kansas State in a four-game weekend series at Quigley Field. The Wildcats enter the series last in the Big Eight with an 0-12 record.
Wichita St. 18, Kansas 6
Kansas...200 200 002—6 7 1
Wichita St..120 000 (15)0x-18 14 0
*Marina St.* .120 400 (150) x-18 140
Quinn, Befit (7), Henry (7), Schneider (7), Houze (7), and Plater (Pumphy, Pumphy, Plater, Plater, Plater)
Elion, Wentworth (8), W-Michelny, 7-L-Qunn, 2-4. Hrs.-Wichita State, Headley (1), and Olivas (7).
'Hawks sweep two from Kansas State
By Jim Suhr
Sports writer
Sportswear
Tracy Bunge threw a three-hit shutout in the first game, and Sherri Mach and Reenie Powell teamed up for another in the second game as the Jayhawks swept a doubleheader from Kansas State yesterday at St. Joseph, Mo.
Kansas won the first game 20 and the second game 7.0. The two wins did not count on either team's conference record.
The sixth-ranked Jayhawks, who used the sweep to improve their record to 32-12, return to Lawrence today to host Wichita State in a p 3.m. doubleheader at Jayhawk Field.
Bunge, 13-7, scattered the three hits and struck out 11 Wildcat batters over seven innings for the win in the first game.
"We played with a lot more enthusiasm, and it showed." Stanclift said after the game.
The Jayhawks scored one run in the first inning on a single by right fielder Ann Brent. Kansas added an insurance run in the fifth inning on catcher Kelly Downs' sacrifice fly.
Kansas strong pitching continued into the second game. Sherri Mach, 19,5, gave up three hits and struck out four Kansas State batters over four innings on the way to the win. Mach received
Softball
The Jayhaws jumped out early with four runs in the first inning. Kansas scored on one-run triples by center fielder Sheila Commson, and one run tibbles by Bunge and left fielder Tiffany Clayton.
relief help from Powell in the fifth inning.
Kansas added three more in the fourth inning when two runners scored on wild pitches and another scored on a single by Connolly. Connolly finished the game with six in three at bats and two RBI.
While at Edmond High, Honea has led several summer softball teams in Oklahoma to the nationals. She led the Ponytail Extreme team and the Oklahoma City Dynamites to a seventh place finish in 1985.
Stancliff announced yesterday that the Jayhawks signed Genny Honea, a right-handed pitcher from Edmond, Okla., to a national letter-of-intent to play softball at Kansas next season.
While with the Dynamites,
Honea was 35-7 and had an earned
run average of 0.23 with 300
stikeouts over 268 innings.
Connolly a quiet leader for Jayhawks
By Jim Suhr
Sports writer
ask them for positive comments about her, and they'll give you plenty of them. They might call her either a quiet person who's aggressive and determined, a role-model or a complete team player in a team sport. Ask them for criticism, and they won't have any.
During her three-year career, Connolly has remained quiet and let her bat and glove do the talking. She was a redshirt during the 1984 season. This season, she is fourth on the team with a 284 batting average, is second in doubles with eight and first in stolen bases with nine.
Sports
Talk to any Kansas softball player, and you'll understand why center fielder Sheila Connolly is a hit.
"In the four years that she's here, I've never detected anyone who had anything negative to say about Sheila Connolly," Bob Stancliff, Kansas head coach, said yesterday.
"She's a quiet leader," he said.
However, Connolly, 21, is more known to her teammates as a defensive cornerstone.
"Anything hit out there she'll get," Reeenie Noble, starting third baseman, said. "She's not afraid to go after anything."
Connolly's greatest asset, Stancillak said, was her mental toughness — a quality that has allowed her to be a success both on and off the field.
In the classroom, for instance, she was nominated as an academic All-American and academic All-A126. She also won a 0.5 grade point average last semester.
Connolly, Fort Sheridan, III,
juniar, the daughter of a retired Army
colonel, also is on scholarship as
a member of the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. Her involvement with the ROTC, she said, created time restrictions and sometimes forced her to make sacrifices. For example, last weekend she had to miss a four game series in Ames, Iowa, because she had to attend an ROTC drill session at Fort Riley.
"Regardless of her frustration, her ups-and-downs and demands on her time, she never complains," he said. "I respect that a great deal."
at Port Huenxe It was just something Stanclift said that Connolly took in stride.
Connelly, a walk-on her freshman year, said that when she first got here, she wasn't sure she'd ever get the chance to play.
"I walked into (Stancliff's) office, and no one was there." she recalled. "I saw all the pictures (of former KU All-Americans) on his wall and thought to myself 'their no way I'm going to make this team.'"
During the camp that morning, Stancliff required each walk-on to undergo physical tests to determine their speeds and strengths. One of those tests was a pushup test, where athletes were required to do a minimum of 20 pushups in 45 seconds. Connolly did 50.
Connolly trudged home and had convinced herself that she wouldn't try out. Later that evening, however, she reconsidered and appeared on the playing field the next morning, slove in hand.
"That's when I knew I was dealing with a different creature," Stanclift said.
"She's the strongest female athlete I've ever coached," he said of Connolly.
Craig Sands/JANSAN
Kansas center fielder Sheila Connolly has quietly contributed to the success of the Jahawk队 during the last three years. She has been dependable both in the field and at the plate.