10A
Flashback: Spring 1925
Legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne was the 1925 Kansas Relays referee.
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Inside: The Kansas track team grabbed six medals in Fayetteville, Ark., during the weekend.
SEE PAGE 6A
Inside: Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez makes his return to his former home when the Rangers play the Mariners in Seattle today.
SEE PAGE 7A
Jayhawks power to sweep of Bears
By Brent Briggeman sports @kanson.com
Kansas sportswriter
Leah Tabb wasn't sure if she'd gotten enough of it.
"I knew I got it good and I just wanted to trot around the bases," said Tabb, whose two home runs and five RBI carried Kansas (24-20, 6-4 Big 12 Conference) past No. 23 Baylor (31-17, 3-8) on Friday in the first of a two-game weekend sweep.
"But the wind was blowing in, so I just put my head down and kept sprinting."
The effort was more than enough as the ball sailed well above the left field wall, but Tabb said she wanted to leave nothing to chance.
This was the 'Hawks' attitude all weekend as they sprinted past the Bears 6-2 Friday and 6-0 on Saturday.
"They rise to the occasion," said Kansas coach Tracy Bunge, whose Hawks have won eight games against ranked teams this season. "This team really seems to play to the level of their competition, which is a good thing when we play quality teams like this."
By scoring in the first inning of both games, Kansas neutralized the Bears' aggression by forcing them to play catch up.
Kansas junior catcher Leah Tabb takes a crack at the ball during the Jayhawks 6-0 victory against Baylor on Friday at Jayhawk Field. Tabb hit two home runs, helping the Jayhawks sweep the Bears. Photo by Laurie Sisk/KANSAN
"They like to hit-and-run and steal when they get people on base," Bunge said. "With an early lead you can force them out of their game plan and take away some of their options."
Baylor averages more than two stolen base attempts per game and has stolen a conference-best 71. The Bears didn't run once against the Jayhawks.
A lack of base runners was another reason for Baylor's lack of aggression.
Kansas ace Kara Pierce continued to shine. Pierce, who carried a no-hitter in the seventh inning Saturday, threw complete games both days and improved to 16-7.
"The team seems to play their best ball in front of Kara." Bunge said. "With a six-run lead I normally would have pulled her after the fifth, but I wasn't going to take her out with a no-hitter."
Pierce surrendered nine hits and struck out eight in 14 innings of work and lowered her ERA to 1.75.
Her counterpart, Baylor's Joni Miller, didn't fare as well. Miller, who came into the weekend with a 1.00 ERA and a 22-9 record, took both losses.
"For some reason we tend to hit better against the better pitchers," said Tabb, who scored three runs in the two games. "She didn't throw a bad game. Her pitches were definitely moving, but we just attacked it in the first few innings and took it to her."
Kansas returns to Jayhawk Field tomorrow with a doubleheader against NAIA powerhouse Oklahoma City. The first game will begin at 3 p.m.
LINESCORES
Edited by Mike Dalgety
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Baylor
Baylor 000 000 0 — 0 2 2
Kansas 411 000 x — 6 11 0
WP - Pierce, K (16-7) LP - Miller, J. (22-11)
2B - Stukel (7), Urquhart, M. (7), Smith, S. (2). SB -
Ganvey, E. (9), Hulse, A. (4). CS - Wright, C. (4).
Friday
Baylor 000 100 1 — 2 7 0
Kansas 200 130 x — 6 6 1
WP-Pierce, K (15-7) LP-Miller, J. (22-10)
2B - Wright, C. (8), Campbell, Ka (10). HR-Bordages
(1). Tabb, L. 2 (8).
Quarterback race still too close to call
Bv Jeff Denton
By Jeff Denton sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
TOPEKA — Kansas quarterback hopefuls Zach Dyer and Mario Kinsey put up similar numbers Saturday under intense pressure at a Kansas spring football scrimmage.
Dyer and Kinsey had productive afternoons in front of a receptive crowd at Shawnee Heights High School, but the 11 men on the opposite side of the football were more effective. In the scrimmage's first several series, defensive coordinator Tom Hayes' men were ferocious.
Once, Kinsley dropped back five steps to set his feet but quickly had to divert his path because two defensive linemen were quickly closing in. Kinsley took off for a moderate six-yard gain.
"We had a stretch where the starting defense was getting to the quarterback," Kansas coach Terry Allen said. "They did a good job bring stunts, but I was pleased with how Zach and Mario handled themselves."
Later, before having a chance to check the right side of the field. Dyer was rudely greeted by blitzing linebacker Marcus Rogers, the centerpiece of the Jayhawks' 4-3 attack. All Dyer could do was take a sack — the defense corralled the 6-foot-3 quarterback behind the line of scrimmage three out of eight times in his second stint with the starting unit.
As the spring game draws closer, the two strong-armed quarterbacks are making it difficult for their coach to decide on his starter. Their passing numbers on Saturday were similar —
Dyer was 6-of-9 for 47 yards, and Kinsey was 5-of-9 for 47 yards. Kinsey also emerged as the day's biggest ground gainer, rushing for 46 yards on seven carries.
Long's afternoon play drew praise from his coach, but Allen insisted on keeping the race between Dyer and Kinsey. The quarterback situation, though, is not as puzzling as it was when spring practice began on March 29.
"Those two are our best, even though Long has done some good things," Allen said. "Two weeks ago, the quarterback situation was a liability. Today it was an ability."
Dyer and Kinsey are the two most talked-about names for the starting nod, but dark-horse freshman Kevin Long was the only thropper of the three to find the end zone. Long suddenly reentered the equation by completing 3-of-4 passes and moving his 6-5 frame for a first down gallop on third-and-nine. He capped the 10-play drive with a 29-yard touchdown loft to junior wide receiver Marcellus Jones.
Famous face in the crowd
Former Kansas defensive lineman Gilbert Brown, who played for the Jayhawks from 1989-92, watched the scrimmage from the defensive sideline Saturday. The prodigious run stopper has been in Lawrence working out with strength coach Fred Roll.
"The goal is to get Gilbert down under 335 pounds for mini camp," Roll said. Brown, a right tackle for the Green Bay Packers, has played much of his eight seasons above 350 pounds.
- Edited by Molissa Cooley
Kansas quarterback Mario Kinsey breaks through for a long gain during the Jayhawks' football scrimmage Saturday at Shawnee Heights high school in Topeka. Kinsey, a freshman red-shirt, will be competing for the starting nod next season. Photo by Laurie Sisk/ KANSAN.
Cyclones rally to edge 'Hawks in weekend series
Bv Rvan Malashock
sports.kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
AMES, Iowa — Kansas was just three outs from winning its last game ever played against Iowa State yesterday at Cap Timm Field, but Kansas' late-inning troubles in the Big 12 Conference continued and the Cyclones rallied for four runs in the ninth to defeat the Jayhawks 5-4.
Coupled with Kansas' 5-1 victory Friday and Iowa State's 9-1 win Saturday, a win yesterday would have given the Jayhawks (16-23, 4-17 Big 12) their first conference series win of the season. But it was not to be.
Junior Doug Lantz was masterful on the mound in the first eight impressions vester-
Lantz: stuck out 12 batters in a losing effort
day. The junior from Southlake, Texas, struck out a career-high 12 batters on the day, but surrendered the game-winning runs in the ninth and took the loss, dropping him to 2-4 on the season.
With two outs, Iowa State's T.J. Bohn smacked a game-tying three-run double. After a walk to Rob Conway, Brandon Cashman singled off Kansas third baseman Ryan Klocksien's glove for the game-winning single. Lantz threw 130 pitches in his complete-game effort, and Kansas coach Bobby Randall said the decision to leave Lantz in the game, despite the outcome, was the correct decision.
"Doug was strong today, and he had shut them down all day," Randall said. "We've taken out pitchers in the past and it's backfired, so we kept going with Doug."
Five Jayhawks smacked two hits yesterday, and junior Kevin Farmer and freshman Dan Stucky each recorded their first career RBI.
"We wasted so many opportunities," Randall said. "We had so many chances early in the game to score more runs, and we didn't."
The Jayhawks hit the ball well off three Cyclone pitchers, but managed only four runs on 14 hits, all singles.
Kansas posted back-to-back victories for the first time in 23 days by taking game one 5-1 on Friday. Smart took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Iowa State (13-19, 1-6) bashed three back-to-back doubles and broke up the no-hitter, as well as the shutout. Smart improved to 7-2 with the
"I was pretty sick before the game," Smart said. "My stomach was bothering me, and I threw up two times before the game. I was actually more focused because of my stomach. It made me concentrate a little more on the mound."
The Jayhawks offense gave Smart all the assistance he would need in the first two innings. Klocksien connected on a solo home run in the first inning, and senior Brent Del Chiaro belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the second. Del Chiaro finished the day 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored.
win, and his performance was even more amazing considering his pregame condition.
Iowa State sophomore Alan Bomer spoiled Kansas' efforts at a three-game winning streak in the Cyclones '9-1 victory on Saturday. Bomer scattered one run and three hits and struck out nine in his complete game performance.
"He's right up there with the best in the conference," Randall said. "He was dominating, and again we just had way too many strikeouts. We were just awful."
Randall said Bomer pitched as well as any opposing pitcher Kansas faced this season.
Iowa State tied season-highs with nine runs and fifteen hits on Saturday. Bohn led Iowa State by going 3-for-5 with a double,
home run, and two runs scored. Kansas junior Ryan Klocksien continued his hot hitting against Big 12 pitching with two hits on Saturday. Klocksien raised his batting average in Big 12 play to .358 during the weekend.
Kansas will travel to Wichita State for a game with the Shockers at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Edited by Brandy Straw
LINESCORES
Sunday
Somers,
IOWA       020 001 001    —   4 14 0
 Iowa State     000 000 001    5 6 1
 WP. Hranahan, 3-2, LP. Lantz, 2-4, S. None, 2B. ISU;
 BP. (Courtesy, 10)
Kansas      000 000 100   -1     4    1 3
lowa State   202 101 30X   -17     9    15 0
Saturdays
Jury
Kamau 121 010 000 — 7 7 0
lowa State 000 000 010 — 5 3 1
WP, Smart, 7-2, LP, Mincks, 2-3, S, None, 2B-KU: Tribble
(8) : ISU: Bohn (3), Cashman (5), HR-ISU: Bohn (3).
Friday
Wickham, McNertney. HR-KU: Klocksien (4). Del Chiaro
(4)
Sports Columnist
Allan Davis
sports@kansan.com
Spring game helps alleviate pigskin fan's withdrawal
Ah, the joy of football.
Kansas' spring football scrimmage Saturday at Shawnee Heights High School east of Topeka provided a quick fix for frustrated football fanatics.
A clue to identifying us: We love football, but absolutely lacked the skills to be any good when we played and were benchwarmers. When I was an undergraduate, we called each other frustrated locks.
Football, America's favorite game, is my favorite, too. That's probably because I played it competitively in high school and at Princeton in the mid-1970s. I mostly played left out and end of the bench, but I played.
When my eligibility ran out, that loss left a void in my life that touch football or flag football just couldn't fill.
So because I can't satisfy my football habit by playing football. I feed the monkey on my back by watching football in immense amounts. I love to watch football. I even watch the XFL and the Arena Football League. Unfortunately, during football's off season, sometimes there's not a football game on television — not even on ESPN Classic.
Plenty of other sports are on television, though. Baseball isn't as much fun as football, but for most of the summer, it's the only game available. I can try to get my fix watching the Atlanta Braves on WTBS. Cox Cable of Topeka, where I live, doesn't offer WGN, so I can't watch the Chicago games. Yes, we are underprivileged in Topeka.
Football junkies also watch basketball, hockey or even soccer to avoid withdrawal. But sometimes there's no game on of any kind. When that happens, we need a computer game or PlayStation or Sega or Nintendo 64 — something, anything, really. Those games aren't just for kids, you know.
But even that plan is not foolproof. The games might be lousy. For example, my Madden NFL 98 was a turkey. I never went back to Madden's games.
My favorite computer football game is an old one: Microprose's Ultimate Football 95. I play against the computer. Right now my Buffalo Bills have won three consecutive Super Bowls. But I cheat a little. I let the computer call most of the defensive sets. I call most of the offensive plays, and I must say that I am particularly ingenious, even on second-and-long.
Something else about frustrated football fanatics: If we ever, by some strange chance, got in a game and made one good play, it is forever etched in our memories. We remember it forever. I know I do.
I was a middle blocking back on the punting team. Late in the game, we were behind 26-14.
We were just past midfield, and it was fourth down. Our coach told our punter to punt the ball out of bounds down in the corner. As we broke out of the huddle, for some reason I told the punter, "Just kick it as far as you can, and I'll cover it."
And surprise, he did what I said, not what the coach called.
Anyway, nobody came up the middle, so I released early. The punt returner, who really should have known better, got set to catch the ball on his own 5-yard line. He never made a step. I hit him dead-on and perfectly legally, and he generously fumbled. We recovered at about the 3-yard line. Two plays later we scored, and after the extra point, we were back in the game, trailing only 26-21.
We kicked off and the other team returned the kick for a touchdown, deflating us severely. We lost 33-21. But it was a heck of a finish and a lot of fun. The next season I played, I wasn't on any special teams. I know the coach left me off the special teams intentionally. But I would have helped him out any time he needed help.
It would have satisfied the need.
Davis is a Topeka graduate student in journalism.
---