THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2007
BASEBALL
3B
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Freshman infielder Robby Price fields a ball at shortstop. The Jayhawks scored 14 runs in the first three innings before being shut out in the fourth, Kansas won the game 18-5 against Penn State Tuesday night.
Pitcher has solid outing
BY SHAWN SHROYER
If anything was as impressive as Kansas' offensive output Tuesday, it was the performance by junior pitcher Andres Esquibel.
In his second start of the season, Esquibel (3-0) cruised as the jayhawk offense hit up the scoreboard behind him. Best of all for coach Ritch Price, Esquibel didn't have to use up too much energy to earn the victory.
"He's been very special and were going to use him a lot," Price said. "The best thing that happened tonight was he only pitched four innings. We didn't think weed have him available for Friday night. Now he'll be completely ready."
Tuesday was the first start for Esquibel, a right hander who's been used predominantly out of the bullpen, since Feb. 4 against Hawaii Hilo. In that game, Kansas put up nine runs of support in Esquibel's five innings.
Against Penn State, though, the Kansas offense put that number to shame, posting 14 runs during Esquibel's four inning outing. As a result, Esquibel had to try to keep from cooling off on the bench during Kansas' four and five-run innings.
"The long innings kind of hurt," Esquibel said. "It was hard to get back on track once I got back out there, but it was nice to have some runs."
The down time didn't appear to have any ill effects on Esquibel, a transfer from Palomar Junior College, as he put up some impressive numbers of his own on the mound.
In his four innings of work, Esquibel allowed only two Nittany Lions to reach base — one by way of a walk and the other on a single in the first inning. After that, he was perfect, retiring 11 straight batters — five via the strikeout
And while Kansas took its time to pile up the runs, Esquibel worked quickly, averaging only 13 pitches per inning. He was taken out after throwing just 52 pitches, but not because he was on a pitch count.
"I think we just had so many runs we wanted to get some more guys in," Esquibel said.
To top it off, he lowered his team-leading ERA to 1.16.
Tuesday's performance was yet another solid one from Esquibel, who continues to close in on a starting spot in the weekend rotation. In addition to his perfect record and team-best ERA, he's gone 12 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.
Esquibel is content as a midweek starter and weekend reliever if that's where his coaches want him.
But the wheels are already in motion for Esquibel to take over a weekend班. Price said he talked about it with pitching coach Ryan Graves, but instead of adding Esquibel to the rotation just yet, they will switch junior left-hander Zach Ashwood and sophomore left-hander Nick Czyz around in the weekend rotation so Ashwood will pitch on Saturday and Czyz will pitch on Friday.
"I think my role right now is helping the team win," Esquibel said, "so I'm fine with it."
Kansas 18, Penn State 5
Penn State 000 000 320—5 6 3
Kansas 545 040 00x—1819 2
Whitehill, Karr (2), Amato (3), Lutz
(Wyner, 7), Lorentz (8) and
Yodice; Esquilid, Marcin (5), Hayakawa (7), Lane (8), Ellenbaker (6) and Afiner, Servias, Souther.
W — Esquibel 3-0.
L — Whitehill 0-3.
2B — PSU: Yodice, Leitgeb; KU:
Ro. Price, Bedford, Land.
3B — PSU: Blackburn.
HR — KU: Morrison, Ry. Price.
Records — Penn State 2-9, Kansas 12-8.
Because Czyz has been an innings-eater for Kansas, Price said that should save him from using too many of his releivers until Saturday to support Ashwood, who's gone six innings only twice this season.
"I was actually going to make the switch and put him in the rotation," Price said of Esquibel, "but Coach Graves talked me out of it. He thinks we need to give Ashwood another opportunity. Our feeling about it is protects our bullpen the best.
Kansan sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@ kansan.com.
"Right now we're going to leave it as it is and if it doesn't work here in a week or two, we'll look at it again," Price said.
Edited by James Pinick
BASEBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
A one-out walk to junior right fielder Brock Simpson set the table for a three-run home run by Morrison. Junior second baseman Ryne Price grabbed a homer as well in his next at bat.
games in his first at bat. A Penn State error landed junior outfielder John Allman on second base, allowing Price to score the first run of the game.
The five run rally in the first put Penn State in a sizable hole. After the second and third innings, however, the Nittany Lions found themselves in a canyon.
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"I think when you struggled scoring runs over the weekend, it's crucial," coach Ritch Price said about scoring early.
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The lahayaks erupted again in the second. Allman doubled to start the four-run rally for his eighth multi-hit game of the season. Four straight base hits drove the score up, as all four of the lahayacks' runs in the second came with two outs.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
By the end of the second, the 9-0 score meant Penn State surrendered more runs to Kansas in two innings than it had to any other opponent so far this season.
And Kansas was just getting started.
After having problems against No. 9 Arkansas, Kansas could do no wrong Tuesday night.
Junior pitcher Andrea Esquibel throws a pitch during Tuesday's game in Hogland Ballpark. During four innings of play, esquibel shut out Penn State, leaving the game with the score 14-0.
Robby Price led off another scoring rampage again in the bottom of the third, Penn State's starting pitcher Seth Whitillh (0-3) left in the second, giving way to John Karr. Karr lasted just long enough to walk three straight to load the bases before making room for right-hander Gary Amato in the bottom of the third.
Fall they did. The lajahawks scored another four runs in the bottom of the fifth, bringing them to a grand total of 18.
"We really didn't struggle against Arkansas, we just left a lot of runners in scoring position." Allman said. "We've been swinging the bats well, we've just got to keep battling through our at bats. Things are going to fall"
Amato didn't do any better. Morrison welcomed Amato to the game with an RBI single to right field. All of the batters Amato inherted in the five-run fifth scored.
The rivalry may be intense, but so is the fun.
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The first game featuring the rivalry that seems to grow in intensity kicks off tonight at 6 p.m.
Confidence and its value continues to be the overlying theme amongst the layhawks. A commanding victory over a Big 10 opponent heading into today's in state rivalry versus No. 12 Wichita State will no doubt boost that confidence.
"It was a lot more fun when the Baty brothers were here," coach Price said, referring to former All-Big 12 Jayhawks and Wichita natives Ryan and Matt Batt "Being from Wichita,
honest to God, the emotion that those two guys had in the dugout was like it was a College World Series game. I'm over it — I'm a Big 12 guy and we're preparing our team to play Texas A&M. But it's still a lot of fun to play. It's a great rivalry. They're not walking in here and kicking the dog out of us anymore like they did for 20 years — although they may do it tomorrow."
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Edited by Stacey Couch
Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
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