THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
MORNING BREW | 9A
Potential jobs for NFL players
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2011
With a possible lockout of the upcoming NFL season, players should look at Chad Ochocinco and find other careers that suit their skills.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
BREAKING EVEN
PAGE 10A
Softball team fights for a tie against UMKC
Jayhawks regain confidence with a 1-1 finish after four-game losing streak
HANNAH WISE hwise@kansas.com
The will to fight has been a major factor in favor of the Jayhawks this season. However, after losing two doubleheaders back-to-back against No. 11 Missouri (3-2, 6-5) and No. 8 Texas (12-0, 10-2 both in five innings) the team had become discouraged. Wednesday night they traveled to Kansas City, Mo. to face UMKC in hopes of ending the four-game losing streak. The team did earn another victory, but not without also putting another tally in the loss column. Kansas now hold a 27-8 record but are winless in conference play.
“Get back to how we play softball,” coach Megan Smith said to the team during the between game huddle. “I think after the tough weekend we had, that kind of dragged into that first game, and unfortunately we weren’t able to turn the page quick enough against a really good pitcher for UMKC. She did an excellent job.”
The Kansas batters did not execute their game plan against UMKC during the first game of the doubleheader in which they fell 2-1. The offense managed five hits to the Roos' 12 during the contest. They faced sophomore ace pitcher Deanna Friese. She struck out eight Jayhawks and allowed only five hits with one error.
She is now 12-3 from the circle.
The sole run for the Jayhawks came from junior outfielder Liz Kocon at the top of the sixth. The game mirrored the UMKC from last season where they Jayhawks went 1-0 in the game that Friese pitched.
During the nightcap, the jawhaws turned things around and began to play like the team that went 10-0 during the first two weekends of the season.
Freshman pitcher Kristin Martinez controlled the circle for the entire game. She had a slow start but ended the contest with nine strikeouts and two errors, but she allowed 12 hits. Her nine strikeouts make a career record.
Despite the nine strikeouts, the Roos scored two runs in the first inning after a string of strong singles. Martinez and the Jayhawk defense, especially third baseman Marissa Ingle worked to fight off the batters for the remaining innings. Regardless of the effort by the defense, the offense just was not able to find a way to make contact against Friese.
Photos by Travis Young/KANSA
"I think we were a lot more focused and determined. Our coach, after the first game, challenged us to step it up and start from now through the rest of the season to work hard and be intense all seven innings. She challenged that; she put that on the table. I think we really focused on that and tried our hardest," senior pitcher Allie Clark said.
Above: Freshman Kristen Martinez pitched a career-high nine strikeouts. Martinez pitched the complete first game against UMKC and is now 11-4 from the circle.
Clark showed her dominance as a pitcher during the second game. She threw pitches that made the batters work to get a hit, and those hits for the most part were ground balls or direct hits to the defense that were converted into quick outs at first base. She threw three strikeouts, allowed only three hits and committed one error. She is now 11-4 from the circle.
The Jayhawk offense got on a run during the fourth inning when they made six hits to earn all four runs. Kocon started off the inning with a strong hit straight to the second baseman that was mishandled converting into a single. Freshman util Marisa Malazzo entered as Kocon's pinch runner. Sophomore outfielder Maggie Hull hit a single to center field to advance Malazzo. Senior catcher Brittany Hile stepped up and hit a double to center field giving Malazzo enough time to round
Below: Softball gets ready for the game against UMKC by singing the Alma Mater in pregame huddle. The team went 1-1 in the double header with scores of 2-1, UMKC and 4-2, Kansas.
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE 8A
SOFTBALL | 8A
Softball Rewind
For more stats from the game check out page 8A
Offense can't get going as Kansas is shutout
BASEBALL
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
The Jayhawks traveled to Springfield, Ill., with hopes of turning around their three-game losing streak, and correcting their woes at the plate. Instead, they were shutout in a 6-0 loss to Missouri State.
The Jayhawks came into Wednesday's game with a focus on being able to knock in runners once they get on base. They finished the game having left eight runners on base.
"We did get nine hits and two or three balls were hit hard," coach Ritch Price said.
Things didn't go as planned for Kansas as early as the first inning, when senior outfielder Casey Lyle advanced to base after a wild
pitch. The Jayhawks attempted a double steal that ended up with Lytle getting caught stealing.
The Jayhawks missed another big opportunity in the fourth inning with the game still scoreless. Junior designated hitter James
"We needed somebody to get a clutch hit," Price said when talking about the fourth inning. "It was really disappointing."
With the jayhawks woes at the plate continuing to plague their season, the jayhawks' pitching
Stanfield successfully completed a bunt single with two outs to start a potential game-changing rally.
Kansas followed up the hustle play with a huge single to left-center from slumping senior shortstop
RITCH PRICE
Coach
Brandon Macias. With runners on the corners, junior first baseman Zac Elgic grounded into an anti-limatic third out.
"We needed somebody to get a clutch hit. It was really disappointing."
needed to step up and take charge in Springfield.
innings for Kansas, holding the Bears scoreless through three before struggling in the fourth. Taylor's night ended after giving up three runs in the fourth.
"He made one really bad pitch. He left the ball up and they clutched up for a two-run two-out single." Price said.
Sophomore starting pitcher Thomas Taylor had three strong
While things went poorly for the Jayhawks' big picture, their three senior hitters, that had been struggling early in the season, all had multi-hit games. Macias, Lyle and senior outfielder Jimmy Waters stepped up for the Jayhawks, something they had been lacking all season.
"I changed my base, it used to be real wide," Waters said. "We decided I needed to shorten up, keep my head in one place, and be able to see the ball better."
conference play, and he credits his improvements to some mechanical changes in his swing.
Waters, the team's top hitter last season, was two-for-three on the day, and improved his average to .230. Waters has steadily been improving since the start of
With the senior leaders beginning to pick up the pace, Price hopes the rest will follow.
"Hopefully those three seniors will keep swinging the bat, and take pressure off of the younger guys". Price said. "It's almost contagious; we just need somebody to get a clutch hit. Once we do that I think the second one and third one will follow"
Edited by Corey Thibodeaux
COMMENTARY
Kansas maintains consistent top seed
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
If I didn't know any better, I'd think Kansas basketball was the only blue blood with its share of misfortunes the last decade. It sure sounds like it when I turned on the TV this week.
In the college basketball world, four teams rule the roost, as you probably know: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Duke. UCLA isn't far down the list, either. With the annual barrage of attacks after another NCAA tournament disappointment last week, I checked out the resumes of the other three schools the last 10 years. It was interesting, to say the least. While Kansas gets labeled as choke artists by fans and SportsCenter anchors, the Jayhawks have actually been more consistent — in the tournament and regular season than any other team.
Then there were a couple years (2007 and 2008) when Kansas went to another Elite 8 and won some national title or something. In that stretch, Duke lost to VCU in the first round, Kentucky was an eight and 11 seed, and North Carolina fell in the Sweet 16 as a one seed.
I failed to mention the four NIT appearances by Kentucky and North Carolina over the last 10 years. For half of the student body at Kansas, the Jayhawks have been in the tournament every single year of their life. North Carolina and Kentucky have missed the tournament four times in the last 10 years.
I hear about 2006 a lot as well. Another first round loss after winning 25 games and grabbing another Big 12 title, Duke, as a one seed once again, lost in the Sweet 16. Kentucky was an 8 seed that didn't survive the first weekend. Oh, and North Carolina was taken out by George Mason in the second round.
Kansas is the only program to have a top four seed in the tournament every year since 2002. Kentucky has been an 11 seed once and an eight seed twice. North Carolina and Duke have both been six seeds. When you have been a top four seed every year since George W. Bush's first term, upsets are going to happen. Sorry, but it's the law of averages or something like that. In 2005, when Kansas was upset by Bucknell after winning 23 games and capturing the Big 12 Conference title, UCLA was an 11 seed. Do Kansas fans know what an 11 seed even looks like? That same year, Duke lost in the Sweet 16 as one seed.
So as last Sunday's loss is replayed over and over again, this Saturday during the Final Four games, remember that it has been far worse for your blue blooded friends at one time or another. Jayhawks, the country is shocked that you lost. Be worried when they are shocked that you won.
1
1
Edited by Erin Wilbert
---