Kansas keeps solid starts

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

As far as rivals go, most Jayhawk fans immediately think of Kansas State and Missouri.

For the baseball team, another in-state rival traveled to Lawrence Saturday night to do battle with the Jayhawks. The Wichita State Shockers brought a No. 8 ranking to town, along with a 17-game winning streak, and defeated the Jayhawks 7-3 Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks, meanwhile, have been on a three-game slide and dropped to 1-5 in Big 12 play. Slow starts have plagued the team, with their pitchers giving up massive amounts of runs.

So how did the Jayhawks remedy this problem? They got a good start.

Sophomore pitcher Schaeffer Hall shocked the Shockers and threw a shutout first inning by striking out the side. The last time the Jayhawks did that was six days ago, when Hall graced the mound.

Hall entered Tuesday’s game with a 2-1 record and a 4.11 ERA. Hall’s six starts this year tie with those of other Big 12 leaders. Following the first inning, not only did the Shockers have zero runs, but the Jayhawks were up three runs.

With run support, Hall went on to throw another good inning in the second and cruised into the third unharmed.

“Getting ahead was the main reason I was successful,” Hall said. “The first inning I had three strikeouts and got the momentum on our side. I was locating my fastball and getting ahead of hitters.”

With trouble lurking, the Shockers finally found their stride and managed to get three runs on three hits in the top of the third. Remaining poised, Hall went out and retired Wichita State in order to end the fourth. Finishing the day with four strikeouts and giving up three runs on three hits, Hall put the Jayhawks in a good position.

The good start is something the Jayhawks will need to build upon, and the defeat by a top-10 team in the nation may give the Jayhawks the confidence they need.

“We put a pitch limit on him today so he can be ready to go this weekend,” Coach Ritch Price said. “He could be in the ballgame early this weekend, and the plan was for him to go four innings with his number of pitches.”

The Jayhawks will challenge Saint Mary at 6 p.m., and sophomore pitcher Wally Marciel will be the next one to toe the rubber and attempt a strong start.

—Edited by Madeline Hyden

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