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Commanding victory builds confidence

Kansas baseball players look past rough practice en route to 18-5 victory over Penn State

By Alissa Bauer

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Before the game Tuesday afternoon, junior Erik Morrison had a rough batting practice. In fact, the Jayhawks’ starting shortstop felt shaky about the upcoming game.

“I was about ready to hang up everything I own with baseball after my rounds of BP on the field before the game,” Morrison said. “I felt pretty much terrible before this game started, so I was kind of wondering how this game was going to go.”

Luckily for the Jayhawks, he stuck with it.

Morrison went 3-3 with five RBI to lead Kansas (12-8) to an 18-5 victory over the Nittany Lions of Penn State (2-9). The victory is the third midweek victory in a row to be won via blowout.

Wasting no time, the Jayhawks got hot in a hurry. With one down in the bottom of the first freshman third baseman Robby Price extended his hitting streak to 12 games in his first at bat. A Penn State error landed junior outfielder John Allman on second base, allowing Price to score the first run of the game.

A one-out walk to junior right fielder Brock Simpson set the table for a three-run home run by Morrison. Junior second baseman Ryne Price grabbed a homer as well in his next at bat.

The five-run rally in the first put Penn State in a sizable hole. After the second and third innings, however, the Nittany Lions found themselves in a canyon.

“I think when you struggled scoring runs over the weekend, it’s crucial,” coach Ritch Price said about scoring early.

The Jayhawks erupted again in the second. Allman doubled to start the four-run rally for his eighth multi-hit game of the season. Four straight base hits drove the score up, as all four of the Jayhawks’ runs in the second came with two outs.

By the end of the second, the 9-0 score meant Penn State surrendered more runs to Kansas in two innings than it had to any other opponent so far this season.

And Kansas was just getting started.

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I think when you struggled scoring runs over the weekend, it’s crucial.

-coach Ritch Price

Robby Price led off another scoring rampage again in the bottom of the third. Penn State’s starting pitcher Seth Whitehill (0-3) left in the second, giving way to John Karr. Karr lasted just long enough to walk three straight to load the bases before making room for right-hander Gary Amato in the bottom of the third.

Amato didn’t do any better. Morrison welcomed Amato to the game with an RBI single to right field. All of the batters Amato inherited in the five-run fifth scored.

After having problems against No. 9 Arkansas, Kansas could do no wrong Tuesday night.

“We really didn’t struggle against Arkansas, we just left a lot of runners in scoring position,” Allman said. “We’ve been swinging the bats well, we’ve just got to keep battling through our at bats. Things are going to fall.”

Fall they did. The Jayhawks scored another four runs in the bottom of the fifth, bringing them to a grand total of 18.

Confidence and its value continues to be the overlying theme amongst the Jayhawks. A commanding victory over a Big 10 opponent heading into today’s in-state rivalry versus No. 12 Wichita State will no doubt boost that confidence.

The first game featuring the rivalry that seems to grow in intensity kicks off tonight at 6 p.m.

The rivalry may be intense, but so is the fun.

“It was a lot more fun when the Baty brothers were here,” coach Price said, referring to former All-Big 12 Jayhawks and Wichita natives Ryan and Matt Baty. “Being from Wichita, honest to God, the emotion that those two guys had in the dugout was like it was a College World Series game. I’m over it — I’m a Big 12 guy and we’re preparing our team to play Texas A&M. But it’s still a lot of fun to play. It’s a great rivalry. They’re not walking in here and kicking the dog out of us anymore like they did for 20 years — although they may do it tomorrow.”

Kansan sportswriter Alissa Bauer can be contacted at abauer@kansan.com.

— Edited by Stacey Couch

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