/ SPORTS / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
SOFTBALL REWIND
Friday
Game 1:
Kansas 4, Minnesota 5
Game 2:
Kansas 8, UNC Greensboro 3
Saturday
Game 1:
Kansas 14, Morehead State 0
Game 2:
Kansas 11, Morehead State 0
Sunday
Game 1:
Kansas 1, Minnesota 0
Freshman infielder Laura Vickers makes a catch in the game against UNC Greensboro on Friday. The game resulted in a victory for the Jayhawks, ending with a score of 8-3.
Jayhawks lose first game of season
BY HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
The Jayhawks suffered their first loss Friday against Minnesota. The loss reinvigorated the team to come back and defeat UNC Greensboro 8-3, Morehead State 14-0 and 11-0 — both in five innings — and finally Minnesota 1-0 to win the tournament and give them a 14-1 record.
ment and give them a 1-1 tie. Freshman pitcher Kristin Martinez was a key player throughout the weekend, especially in the final game against Minnesota. The offense was having a difficult time getting started and did not score until the seventh inning when Marissa Ingle hit a double to bring freshman Ashley Newman in for a run.
a run.
Martinez tossed all seven innings, allowing only two hits and not giving up a run. She allowed only six base runners and struck out five batters. She is now 6-0 on the mound.
"I am so proud of Kristin. She had a phenomenal game from pitch one to the last pitch of the game. She was hitting her spots and making them chase pitches. It was really great to see her step up that way," senior catcher Brittany Hile said.
semior. The team's play on Sunday was due in part to the loss to Minnesota on Friday. The team did not come out and play with the same vigor that they had been for the last 10 undefeated games.
deleted games Minnesota started out strong
with a home run in the first inning. Kansas was on pace responding with two runs off three hits in the bottom of the first. The game went scoreless until the fourth when Ingle and Hile scored to make the score 4-1 Kansas. That was the last time that the team was able to put up any runs.
up any runs.
The Golden Gophers scored runs in the sixth and then errors by freshman shortstop Ashley Newman and sophomore second baseman Mariah Montgomery led to two additional runs in the top of the seventh. The bottom of the seventh put Ingle in scoring position but the Kansas
"They knew that we lost the game, we gave them the game. Minnesota is a good team but did not exactly play to our potential in terms of execution and demeanor, but we were back to the normal Jayhawks today," coach Megan Smith said.
batters could not connect before Montgomery struck out looking to end the game.
giving up only three runs.
today, coach Megan.
The team needed to win after the loss on Friday. Kansas played UNC Greensboro right after its loss to Minnesota and won with a two-hitter. Senior pitcher Allie Clark threw the complete game strike out a season-high six batters and
giving up only three runs.
"We kind of played with a chip on our shoulder. We came out that first game and we lost a tight game to a good team. We took control of those other games and we kept control throughout the games and kept putting pressure on the other teams and just had that aggressive mind set for those other games." Smith said.
Saturday the team played Morehead State back-to-back winning by the run-rule in five innings, both games with scores of 14-0 and 11-0. All together the Jayhawks scored 25 unanswered runs with
threeRBIs by Hile and sophomores Mariah Montgomery and Maggie Hull
"We had certain people step up and we didn't have to rely on one person. Every game I felt like somebody else was getting the line up going and making the big hits when we really needed it," Hille said.
The Jayhawks ended the weekend with a 14-1 record. They came back from their first loss of the season with a tougher mentality and more intensity, which led to strike outs and big hits.
Playing Minnesota twice gave the team a snapshot into what Big 12
Conference play will look like in a few weeks when they open against No. 16 Missouri. The opportunity to come back and win gave the team the chance to grow together.
the chance to grow the team will travel to Las Vegas to face Bradley, San Jose State and University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Troy and San Diego in the UNLV Eller Media Stadium Classic. The competition in this tournament will mirror the Big 12's level and will be a good step in preparing the young Jayhawks for conference play.
Edited by Brittany Nelson
Key Game
Sunday's game against Minnesota was an important test for the Jayhawks. After a tough loss to the Golden Gopher's Friday the team needed to see if they could come back against a tough opponent. Minnesota's Big Ten style of play is close to Big 12 play. The conference opener against Missouri is a few weeks off but being able to pull out the win here is a good sign for Kansas.
Friday: Kansas 4, Minnesota 3
Errors by freshman shortstop Ashley Newman and sophomore second baseman Mariah Montgomery led to two runs by Minnesota during Friday's game.
The errors came at a crucial point in the fifth inning when Kansas had the lead 4-3. Newman's error came off a tough bounce that allowed the Golden Gopher
Game to Forget
Ashley Newman, freshman shortstop Friday: Kansas 4, Minnesota 5
off a tough bounce that allowed the Golden Gopher runner to make it to home plate. Montgomery's error came off a ground out that allowed the go-ahead run. The two runs put Minnesota up 5-4 to win the ball game.
Newman
Game to Remember
Kristin Martinez, freshman pitcher
Sunday: Kansas 1, Minnesota 0
Sunday: Kansas 1, Minnesota 0
Freshman Kristin Martinez showed her ability to perform under pressure in Sunday's final match with Minnesota. She struck out five batters and only allowed two hits. She allowed six base runners for the entire game. She was in a pitching battle with Minnesota's Sara Moulton who struck out nine of Kansas' batters and gave up seven hits. The offense had a slow
botters and gave up seven hits. The other start and Martinez's performance kept the team in the game until the seventh inning when junior Marissa Ingle hit a double to bring freshman Ashley Newman in for the only run of the game.
Martinez
CLUB SPORTS
Lacrosse team comes home with two victories
BY BLAKE SCHUSTER bschuster@kansan.com
After battling a tough Iowa team, followed by an underachieving Iowa State, the men's club lacrosse team returned to Lawrence with two victories on the season. The 3-2 (2-0 in division) Jayhawks now have a stranglehold over the 1AA division of the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference.
Kansas' challenge Friday was to overcome the Hawkeyes' potent offense and home-field advantage. The Jayhawks were able to steal a win with a score of 15-10, leaving the Jayhawks 5-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes.
"We were all fired up. Our coaches made sure we knew how important this game was, and we all wanted to be the division leaders." said Tim MacArthur, a freshman from Tallahassee, Fla. "We hit the field and started flying around. It was the best we've come out all year."
"We were on fire. We took control of the game, we got all the groundballs, we won all of the faceoffs and we put Iowa out of the game in the first half," coach Dennis Shults said.
year MacArthur tallied his first goal of the year in the Iowa victory after walking in from midfield and firing off the post and in.
firing on the post and the Francis Enright, a senior from Winnetka, Ill., was still the Jayhawks' hot hand, scoring three goals and one assist in the victory against the Hawkeyes.
Demins shows it is early in the season, the victory against the Liawkeyes almost assures the Jayhawks a playoff spot. With two division games left, Kansas needs
les left, Kansas needs
season begin.
Saturday, Kansas faced Iowa State team and left with an 11-8 victory. Enright scored another three goals, and Jack Faerber, a sophomore from Prairie Village, added four goals and one assist to the victory against the Cyclones.
to win only one to lock up a postseason birth.
"We managed to win, but we looked flat the whole game," Shults said. "It looked like we were pretty exhausted from the Iowa game."
iowa game.
Next weekend, the Jayhawks head to Boulder, Colo., for a showdown with Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado. The following weekend, they play St. Cloud State in their first home game.
Edited by Helen Mubarak
Senior midfielder Nate Jones protects the ball against junior defense player Will Kellen during Wednesday afternoon's practice. The Lacrosse team will play this weekend against Iowa on Friday and Iowa State on Saturday. The team is currently 1-2 for the season.
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