6B
BASEBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2007
KU undefeatable in Hawaii
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BY ALISSA BAUER
A trip to Hawaii is nice. A five game sweep in Hawaii is paradise.
The lajhwaks capped off their up to the University of Hawaii at Hilo Sunday afternoon in Kalua Kona, Hawaii, with a 9.2 victory. After playing the first four games at Francis K. Wong Stadium in Hilo, the lajhwakes and Vulcans concluded the series, which is becoming common as the season opener, at Simmons Field in Kona.
Four games in just three days provided room for Kansas to adjust to the four-hour time difference, weather in the 70s and an opponent who has spent its entire season outside.
Evidently, those four games were enough. One year ago, the lajwhayks took the first four games from the Vulcans, but lot the finale. This season, a better prepared Kansas squad returns to Lawrence with a 5-0 start.
"The difference was that our pitching was deeper," coach Ritch Price said, comparing this year's Jayhawks to last year's. "I've taken teams three 10 times in my coaching career and that's only the second time we've ever swept."
Kansas struck first in the top of the second inning with a Ryne Price double. The junior second baseman led off the inning shortly before sophomore first baseman Preston Land walked.
Sophomore catcher Buck Menri picked up a double of his own to score Price, giving the jawhaws
a lead that they wouldn't give up for the remainder of the afternoon. Junior designated hitter Joe Servais drove another pair of runs to put the Jayhawks ahead 3-0 in the second.
Once ahead, Kansas began piling on its lead as the club scored a pair of runs for the next three innings.
Freshman third baseman Robby Price followed big brother Ryne's lead when he led off the third with a double. He was joined on the bases by junior outfielder John Allman when he was allowed on because of catcher's interference.
A Vulcan error and a single by junior shortstop Erik Morrison scored them both and put distance between the teams that Hawaii-Hilo never closed.
"It makes a statement about our program," coach Price said. "We're beating teams that we should beat."
Besides a potent offensive attack, junior right hander Andres Esquibel (1-0) pulled his weight in the victory, tossing five innings and allowing just two runs. In his Jayhawk debut, the California native gave up eight hits and just one walk while striking out four.
"I think that was the highlight of the weekend by far," coach Price said of his pitching staff. "All five guys each gave us an outstanding start."
Competing right-hander Jeffrey Germain (0-1) took the loss on the other side of the field after allowing seven runs. Although they couldn't keep the Jayhawks from scoring, the Vulcan pitchers struck out nine batters on Sunday.
"We're not swinging the bats well," coach Price said. "The strikeout numbers are alarming, but can be attributed to us not seeing live pitching yet this spring."
Nevertheless, the lajayhaws rolled right through the fourth with the help of Allman. The All Big 12-second-team returner crushed a triple to right center to score junior outfielder Brock Simpson and the youngest Price.
The lead stretched to 7-0 before Hawai-Hilo made the scoreboard. Although scattered hits kept the Vulcans from being silent, until the bottom of the fourth it looked as if Kansas may seal its second shutout of the series.
It was not to be. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Vulcan infielder Dayne Ogawa singled to the left and drove in first baseman Courtney Harris who led the inning off with a double. Hawaii-Hilo scored again in the bottom of the fifth but did not do so again.
"They weren't as good as they have been in the past. They lost three impact players from a year ago." Price said.
Before the Jayhawks left for Hawaii, Price said that the Afenir from last season was a completely different player this season. He wasn't lying. The sophomore led the Kansas offense on Sunday, going 2-4 with a pair of runs scored and three RBL His two-run homer in the top of the fifth closed out his teams scoring for the day.
》 The Vulcans kept pace with the layhawks for the first six innings, but a three-run seventh inning for Kansas proved to be the difference.
Junior right fielder Brock Simpson drove in the deciding runs in the seventh with a two-RBI triple and scored on a wild pitch later in the inning. He went 2-for-5 in the game.
Junior left-hander pitcher Zach Ashwood earned the victory in his first start as a Jayhawk. The transfer from Texas Christian University struck out seven in six innings and allowed just one unearned run on one hit and three walks.
The 5-0 start gives Kansas plenty to build on as the team prepares to open and fight the cold at home for the next two weekends. Of course, the 75-plus degree weather may have spoiled them.
>> Junior second baseman Ryne Price scored Kansas' first run of the season on a lead-off home run in the second inning.
Winning pitcher - Zach Ashwood (1-0); Losing pitcher - Lars Knepper (0-1); Save - Paul Smith (1)
Game One:
Kansas 4, Hawaii-Hilo 1
» Sophomore reliever Paul Smyth overcame a leadoff walk to face the minimum in the bottom of the ninth and notch his first save of the season.
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"I told our players what a great weekend it was to be gone, seeing what the weather was like in the Midwest," Price said. "Hopefully the weather will work out so we can get a couple of games in this weekend."
Kansan senior sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.
BY SHAWN SHROYER
>> Freshman southpaw Wally Marceli earned his first collegiate victory in front of family and friends. The Kaiau, Hawaii, native last five innings, struck out six and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks.
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Freshman third baseman Roby Price had the first big game of his Kansas career, going 2-for-4 with one run, two RBI and a walk. He had a two RBI double in the second and led off the fourth inning with a single.
W - Wally Marciel (1-0); L -
Kaiana Trask (0-2)
Pitching, offense lead team
>> Simpson continued to produce as Kansas' lead-off man. In game two of Friday's double-header, he went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI and two walks.
》 Senior center fielder Kyte Murphy capped off the fourth inning with a three-run home run, his first of the season. He went 2-for-3 in the game with one run, four RBI and a walk.
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Game Two:
Kansas 12, Hawaii-Hilo (
Edited by Jvl Unruh
Junior left fielder John Allman was the only other layhawk to collect multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
W- Nick Czyz (1-0) L- Joe Davis (0-2)
》 After scoring eight runs in the first 12 innings of the series, the Kansas offense exploded in the fourth inning to the tune of six runs. After that, coach Ritch Price was able to integrate some of his less experienced players into the lineup.
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Game Three:
Kansas 7, Hawaii-Hilo 2
Game Four:
Kansas 10, Hawaii-Hilo 1
》 Sophomore lefty Nick Czyz avenged his first career loss as a Jayhawk by shutting the Vulcans out for just more than four innings. During that span, he struck out seven while allowing only three hits and four walks in the winning
going 2-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and a walk.
W - Andy Marks (1-0); L - John Holley; J (0-1)
Kansas scored six runs in the final two innings to put the game out of reach, but there were nearly as many botched plays in the game as there were runs with each team combining for seven errors.
》 Ryne Price put an exclamation point on the eighth inning with a three-run home run, his second of the season. He added a double, another run scored and a walk to his stat line.
>> Kansas starting pitching continued to dominate Hawaii-Hilo batters as sophomore left hander Andy Marks struck out six in as many innings. He also kept the Vulcans off the scoreboard, giving up only three hits and one walk.
- Edited by James Pinick
Kansan sportswriter Shawn
Shroyer can be contacted at
shroyer@kansan.com.
Junior shortstop Erik Morrison snapped out of a 1-for-12 slump, going 2-for-4 with a double, a run and a walk.
Simpson continued his tear,
AT THE PLATE
Junior night he broke Bellrook Simpson couldn't have asked for a much better series.
Although he came into the season as the leading candidate to be Kansas leadoff man, he proved he deserved the联赛 in Hawali. For the series, he had three multi-hit games, scored seven runs, and had three RBI, three walks and two stolen bases.
AT THE PLATE
>> ON THE MOUND
Coach Ritch Price has to be overjoyed at the performances he got from his pitching staff. He hoped to use this series to find three weekend starters, but that won't be easy as all five starters showed good command and earned victories. There was also very little drop-off, if any, when Price gave the game to his bullpen. In fact, a winner in the closer race might have emerged from the series. Sophomore Paul Smyth faced only 10 batters in three innings of work, struck out three and allowed no hits or runs.
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