THE UNIVERSITY OF DARYA KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2007
SPORTS
3B
BASEBALL
Kansas rises early, wins two against SDSU
BY ALISSA BAUER
If defense wins championships dedication has to count for something.
The series finale against South Dakota State University (1-2) began Sunday morning around 4:20 a.m. It was nearly 7 a.m. before Kansas (7-1) took the series two games to one with a 4-1 victory.
After Kansas coach Ritch Price and South Dakota State's coach Reggie Christiansen decided last Wednesday against playing in Lawrence due to excessively cold weather and poor field conditions; Price went to work. Almost two full days passed, but Price found a place to play: The Metrodome in Minneapolis.
"It it was awesome," Price said. "Even though the game times were a little weird, it was a lot of fun. I think our players thought it was worth it."
Because the major-league ballpark was already playing host to
the Hurricane Winter Invitational for Division II and NAIA colleges, the Kansas vs. South Dakota State
series had to be scheduled around the tournament. In fact, game two of Saturday's double header was postponed
Murphy
because of a 7 a.m. time restriction.
This highly bizarre schedule was why the ninth inning of game two was played before the series finale on Sunday morning.
"A lot of our players participate in the NBC tournament in Wichita for college summer teams," Price said. "They play a round-the-clock tournment there so a lot of our players have experience with it. The hardest day was the first day."
The lavhawks left Lawrence
around 2:30 p.m. on Friday and didn't get to Minneapolis until 11:30 p.m. The team headed straight for the Metrodome to warm up and get ready for the 1:30 a.m. start time.
By Sunday, the Jayhawks played as if 4 a.m. was the norm, as they jumped to an early lead in the bottom of the second and never looked back.
Price said earlier this season that if senior outfielder Kyle Murphy could hit just 2.50 this season, he would be the happiest coach in America. As a defensive specialist, Price describes Murphy as one of the few players in the game who can win games with his glove, but provided little to last season's offense.
Price's happiness must be exceeding elation as Murphy leads the team with a .381 batting average. His 5-10 and four runs scored performance against the lackrabbits put Murphy right in the middle of both Jayhawk victories this weekend.
"I couldn't be more happy." Price said. "He had a phenomenal weekend."
The Jackrabbits had as much of a hand in the rest of the Jayhawks' runs as the Jayhawks did.
e bottom of the third.
In the box, Murphy led off the inning with a single to left field and moved to third on a throwing error before he scored on a dropped fly ball off the bat of junior outfielder Brock Simpson. After Simpson reached on the error, he came around to score on a junior second hit.
time, Murphy tagged a double to left,
but still scored on a laxback error.
Four runs doubled what Kansas needed to win. However, sophomore lefty Andy Marks (2-0) pitched an outstanding start allowing just four hits in 6.1 innings of work. Tossing a
"It was awesome." Even though the game times were a little weird, it was a lot of fun. I think our players thought it was worth it."
ond baseman Ryne Price groundout.
South Dakota State's mishaps struck again in the seventh. This
RITCH PRICE Coach
shutout into the seventh, he finally caved in in the top of the seventh surrendering a solo shot to senior third baseman Cal Lewis.
Marks struck out eight batters and walked one in his second victory of the season, while junior right-handed pitcher Haraiyi
Garcia (1) picked up his first save.
"He may have pitched the best 4 a.m. game in college baseball his
tory," Price said of Marks.
》 BASEBALL
Jackrabbit starter Caleb Thielbar (0-2) lasted about half as long as Marks, taking the loss for game three. Thielbar allowed three runs off four hits in three innings pitched, but had little help from his defense that collected four errors in the finale.
Murphy and fellow outfielder, junior John Allman, paved the way for the jayhawk bats. Combined, the two racked up more than half of Kansas' hits as Murphy had a pair of hits and Allman finished with three.
The lajawhacks will try once again to open at home this week. The team is set to square off in a three-game series against North Dakota State at Hoglund Ballpark starting Wednesday.
Kansan senior sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
Edited by Stacey Couch
Jayhawks take weekend series
Kansas wins two of three against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at the Metrodome
BY SHAWN SHROYER
Game one: South Dakota State
6. Kansas 5
Winning pitcher — Kevin
Morsching (1-0); Losing pitcher
— Ryotaro Hayakawa (0-1); Save
— Jacob Koubel (1)
Instead of playing its earliest home opener in the program's history, Kansas headed north to the Minneapolis Metrodome for an early doubleheader Saturday morning. The first pitch of game one was thrown at 1:42 a.m.
Top 1st — Back-to-back hits by South Dakota State gave them an early 1-0 advantage.
Bottom 4th — Junior shortstop Erik Morrison hit a three-run home run to give Kansas a 3-2 lead.
Top 2nd — Nick Adams hit a leadoff home run to extend the lackrabbits' lead to 2-0.
Bottom 5th — After South Dakota State tied the game in the top of the inning, senior center fielder Kyle Murphy tripped and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior right fielder Brock Simpson to put Kansas back up, 4-3.
Bottom 7th — The Jackrabbits tied the game again in the top of the innings, but the layhawks regained the lead, 5-4, on a single by junior designated hitter Joe Servais who scored junior second baseman Ryne Price.
Top 8th - South Dakota State
took the lead for good on a two
run blast by Bake Rogers off Kansas
senior reliever Ryotaro Hayakawa.
Notes
-Murphy was the only Kansas player to reach base in the first three innings. Of Kansas' five hits in the game, three were Murphys'.
Junior left-hander Zach Ashwood started for Kansas, striking out seven and walking only one in 4.2 innings; however, he did allow three earned runs.
-For the game, the first four batters in Kansas' lineup went a combined 0-for 13, compared to South Dakota State's, who went 8-for 19.
Game two: Kansas 3, South Dakota State 2
W — Andrés Esquibel (2-0); L — Christian Larson (0-1); S — Paul Smith (2)
Bottom 1st — Junior left fielder John Allman singled to center field. It would be Kansas' only hit the first three innings.
Top 3rd — Once again, the Jackrabbits jumped out to an early lead. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Kansas sophomore lefty Nick Czyz hit a batter, walked the next, threw a wild pitch and loaded the bases with another walk. A single by Craig Parry plated South Dakota State's first two runs.
Bottom 7th — Kansas finally got on the board when Morrison scored from first on a double by
sophomore first baseman Justin
Ellrich.
Bottom 8th — After Murphy reached on a throwing error and Simpson reached on a double, Allman sent them home for the tying and go-ahead runs with a single.
The game was suspended after the eighth because the Metrodome had to be cleared out for a college basketball tournament that was being held there.
Top 9th — The game resumed Sunday morning at 3:30 a.m. and the jacabbies attempted another two-out rally, but sophomore closer Paul Smyth would have none of it. With men on first and second, Smyth slammed the door on the game, clinching the victory and his second save of the season.
Notes
— The two runs Czyz allowed in the third were the only runs he surrendered as he struck out seven over five innings in a no-decision effort.
— Junior right-hander Andres Esquibel picked up where Czyz left off, shutting South Dakota State in four innings of relief while striking out six.
Kansan sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@kansan.com.
Edited by Stacey Couch
Diamond Studs
At the plate - Before the season, coach Price said he be the happiest coach in America if senior center fielder Kyle Murphy could hit.250 and Murphy has yet to disappoint. He leads the team in hitting with a .381 average after a stellar South Dakota State series. While Kansas' first four hitters combined to hit.182 in the series. Murphy went 5-for-10, adding four runs and two stolen bases.
On the mound — Sophomore reliever Paul Smyth has quickly erased any doubt that he is the go-to guy out of the bullpen. He was nearly flawless in 2.1 innings of work, surrendering no runs, one hit and one walk while striking out three. The Jayhawks might have swept the series if hed entered game one earlier.
— Shawn Shroyer
LAST SEEN AT THE DOME ON FEBRUARY 1.2007
》 TENNIS
Jayhawks drop the ball Slowed by injuries, Kansas falls to Arkansas
BY RUSTIN DODD
The Kansas tennis team suffered a 5-2 loss to Arkansas on Sunday in Lawrence, the teams third defeat in three years to the Razorbacks.
The No. 1 doubles duo of junior Elizaveta Avdeeva and sophomore Edina Horvath improved their record to 6-1 with a dual-opening 8-4 victory, but the momentum quickly went to Arkansas. The Razorbacks won the next five matches, including a pivotal No. 3 doubles match where junior Lauren Hommell and sophomore Yuliana Svistun watched a 7-5 lead evaporate into a 9-7 loss.
"I think if we would have won the doubles point, we would have had more confidence going into singles," said Hommell, who was playing with Svistun for the first time.
Hommell was able to bounce back and pick up a victory at No.4 singles, giving Kansas one their two points.
Swistun picked up the other point for Kansas with an 8-4 victory at No. 5 singles.
"Lauren's a competitor," said coach Amy Hall-Holt. "She shows a lot of emotion. If she can keep her attitude and emotion up, she's going to do well."
Injuries remained a factor for the team, which continued to play without last year's top singles player, Ksenia Bukina, who was injured in the fall season. Junior Stephanie Smith made her debut after missing the first six duals of the season due to injury. Smith competed at No. 6 singles and fell 8-3.
"They fought and they did what we asked of them." Hall-Holt said "We just have to finish."
kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rdodd@kansan.com.
- Edited by Ashley Thompson
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