Originally published March 31, 2007 at 8:34 p.m., updated April 1, 2007 at 8:34 p.m.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Erik Morrison’s smile shone brightly Friday night. After a rocky start in Big 12 Conference play, the junior shortstop had reason to. His two-run homerun erased a 5-4 deficit in the top of the ninth to lift the Jayhawks past the Tigers 7-5.
“That’s kind of what we kind of talked about before the game — how we’re kind of down low and in the dumps sometimes,” Morrison said. “We talked about if you catch some one doing good let them know and if you do something good yourself go ahead and smile and let yourself know you did something good.”
Fellow junior Ryne Price’s solo shot that followed only sweetened the deal for Kansas (16-15, 3-4) on the opening day of the series.
With two runs worth of insurance, Smyth had all he needed to pick up his second victory of the year. Although he added to the drama by giving up a pair of base hits in the bottom of the ninth, Smyth was unfazed.
“If you don’t have that mentality as a reliever, then you’re not going to last very long,” Smyth said.
Despite being out hit 15-7 by the Tigers (20-8, 2-2), the Jayhawks found a way to put runs across. Starter Aaron Crow nearly doubled his season walk total in his 6.2 inning outing. Crow entered the game with 11 walks. He walked eight Jayhawks on Friday night.
Top 2nd — For just the second time in their Big 12 Conference season, the Jayhawks scored first. Junior second baseman Ryne Price led off the inning with a walk and sophomore catcher Buck Afenir followed Price’s lead with a base hit to right.
Another pair of walks loaded the bases and drove in the ’Hawks first run of the series. A sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman third baseman Robby Price plated Afenir to give Kansas an early 2-0 edge.
Bottom 2nd — The Tigers used a lead off batter of their own to notch their first run. Designated hitter Jacob Priday kicked off his end of the second with a single and scored on a two-out double from centerfielder Evan Frey.
Bottom 3rd — Although it wasn’t the three-run bomb that Coach Ritch Price has been worried about giving up, the Tigers did take a two-run homer out in their next at bat. Catcher Trevor Coleman hit a sophomore lefty Nick Czyz delivery on a rope over the left field wall, swinging the game back in the Tigers’ favor, 3-2.
Bottom 4th — The ominous rain clouds hovering over the stadium throughout the evening temporarily opened up at the game’s midpoint. Though the rain aided in Jayhawk slips and slides on defense, it did little to affect the game. Although it didn’t last long, the rainfall would return again in a decisive ninth inning.
Bottom 6th — Left fielder Aaron Senne’s one-out double sparked another Tiger run, boosting the temporary Tiger lead to 4-2.
Top 7th — On a two-out rally, the Jayhawks took a pair of walks before Morrison landed an RBI double in right field. Morrison took advantage on a dropped third strike. He broke for home to tie the game at four.
Bottom 7th — Left fielder Aaron Senne tagged another two-out RBI single for the Tigers, putting them ahead 5-4. A lead Morrison and Price would make sure they wouldn’t keep.
Game Note: The ninth-inning comeback was a first for the 2007 Jayhawks. Before Friday night, Kansas was 0-14 this season when trailing after eight innings.
Missouri baseball takes game two
Preston Land hit a bomb in the ninth inning that nearly cleared ...
Baseball wrap-up
Here's a look at the baseball team's games in Hawaii.
Baseball splits series with Northern Colorado
Last season, Northern Colorado defeated Kansas twice, but this year it could ...
Offenses explode in Game one against Oklahoma
Kansas outlasted Oklahoma 17-15 in the highest scoring conference game since 1998 ...
Kansas vs. Missouri Series Recap
The Jayhawks lost their third straight Big 12 series this last weekend.
Baseball steals game two against Oklahoma St.
By winning game two, the Jayhawks have put themselves in a place ...
Huskers win first game of series
Nebraska's seventh inning propels it to a 7-6 victory against Kansas.
Baseball rides pitching, offense to victory
The annual trip to Hawaii proved successful for the Jayhawks. KU swept ...
Baseball doesn’t control its postseason
The Jayhawks' hopes are dependent on how Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech ...
Walk-off home run breaks Kansas’ heart
Baseball loses 9-8 to No. 21 Arkansas in a 10-inning thriller.
Game day: Kansas vs. Texas
Check out game day to get ready for this afternoon's baseball game ...
Victory over Missouri State is #400 for ...
Coach Price brought home his 400th victory after the Kansas baseball team ...
Baseball avoids first conference sweep
Freshman left-hander Wally Maricel's first Big 12 Conference start lasted 5 2/3 ...
Jayhawks fail to rally, lose series
The momentum from a ninth-inning upset on Friday failed to carry the ...
Walz tosses 7-2/3 innings en route to ...
Kansas gave Nebraska their first home loss of the season and moved ...
Foes and friends, Kansas seniors have shared ...
Kansan baseball players Erik Morrison and Ryne Price have a long history ...
Pitching gets Kansas the victory
With subpar performance at the bat, pitcher Sam Freeman had to take ...
New faces to fill old places
Kansas, Baylor split baseball double-header
Ryne Price redeems defensive errors by hitting a big home run in ...
Baseball: Big innings doom chance to win
The Jayhawks left the weekend series with three more notches in its ...
Baseball team wins one of three against ...
Kansas' post-season fate will come down to the final weekend of conference ...
Baseball experiences cloudy games in Florida
Almost all the games, victory or loss, were close in score, excluding ...
Jayhawks continue to enjoy winning streak
Kansas extended its winning streak to six victories Sunday. Senior shortstop Erik ...
Jayhawks walk to victory
Things are looking up for Kansas, who has won two straight after ...
Tricky Infielders lead Kansas to victory
A bizzare play in the 10th inning led Kansas to a series-opening ...
NEW: Kansas takes game one of Sunflower ...
Kansas headed to Oregon for NCAA regionals
The Kansas baseball team will play Hawaii in the Corvallis, Ore., regional ...
Missed chances lead to baseball loss
The Kansas baseball team faced its toughest competition of the season so ...
Kansas baseball surrenders to Oklahoma State
Cowboys’ Keanon Simon plays an outstanding game, making it impossible for Jayhawks ...
Jayhawks make comeback against Bears
Coach Ritch Price calls tonight’s win “the weirdest game he has ever ...
Jayhawks hold off Sooners in see-saw battle
Kansas scored a team record of 39 runs in the weekend series ...
Baseball struggles late against Texas
Texas sent all nine batters to the plate in the eighth inning ...
Jayhawks defeat Baker 11-6
The Jayhawks stormed to a 9-0 lead during the first six innings. ...
Wildcats salvage series finale against Jayhawks
Kansas baseball team beats Iowa
Several home runs led to a 9-5 victory against Iowa this weekend.
Jayhawks shut out Tigers at Kauffman 3-0
Senior outfielder Ryne Price hit his 10th home run of the season ...
Kansas baseball defeats Western Illinois
Second game proves more challenging as the Leathernecks unsuccessfully fight for a ...
Baseball drops game one to Oklahoma St.
In their first Big 12 Conference home game, the Jayhawks couldn't get ...
Baseball falls at Texas A&M
The Kansas baseball team lost twice this weekend in its Big 12 ...
Strong-handed players
The wind usually blows into left field at Hoglund Ballpark, giving right-handed ...
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
KUnited presidential candidate Libby Johnson and vice presidential ...
1 comment
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID