Shockers defeat Kansas

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Photo Gallery

Kansas Baseball vs. Wichita State University

A photo gallery of the baseball game against Wichita State University Tuesday night.

If Kansas learned one thing Tuesday night, it was the importance of leadoff men.

Five times Kansas pitchers retired Wichita State’s leadoff hitter, and the Shockers had just one run from those innings. But four times Wichita State’s leadoff men reached base and the Shockers tallied six runs. On the flip side, Kansas’ leadoff men reached base just once.

Kansas’ inability to contain Wichita State’s leadoff men and the Jayhawks’ futility at the plate led to a relatively smooth 7-3 victory for the Shockers (21-3). Tuesday’s victory at Hoglund Ballpark extended Wichita State’s winning streak to 18 and marked its fourth straight against Kansas. In dropping their fourth straight game this season, the Jayhawks (18-13) struck out 14 times.

“We didn’t do a very good job of making an adjustment at the plate,” Kansas coach Ritch Price said. “One of the things that we try to be is fastball efficient and their guy was changeup, changeup, changeup and we didn’t do a very good job of staying off the ball down in the zone. When he did throw his fastball, he was literally in guys’ heads.”

As meager as Kansas’ three runs were, they were three more than the Jayhawks technically should have scored.

All three runs were unearned and came after an error by Wichita State second baseman Josh Workman. Senior center fielder Casey Larson reached on the error to lead off the inning and scored on a single by junior catcher Buck Afenir.

Senior right fielder Ryne Price’s seventh home run of the season capped off Kansas’ scoring for the first inning and the game.

For the next eight innings, Wichita State’s pitching staff dominated Kansas hitters, starting with right-hander Tim Kelley (3-1). In five innings, Kelley held Kansas to three unearned runs on four hits and struck out five.

“He definitely did an outstanding job of using his changeup and we did a really poor job of adjusting, obviously,” Price said.

Kansas’ luck at the plate didn’t change when Wichita State turned to its bullpen. Shocker left-hander Logan Hoch struck out six Jayhawks in 2.2 innings while right-hander Tyler Fleming struck out three in the final 1.1 innings of the game.

Making the Jayhawks’ 14 strikeouts on offense even more appalling was the fact that four of those strikeouts came in one inning and they didn’t earn a single walk.

“That was one of our worst offensive performances of the year after the first inning,” Price said.

Sophomore left-hander Shaeffer Hall got the start for Kansas and held Wichita State at bay the first two innings. However, Wichita State knocked back-to-back doubles off Hall to lead off the third and get on the board.

After loading the bases, the Shockers added two more runs in the inning on RBI-ground outs to tie the score, 3-3.

Sophomore right-hander Brett Bollman (2-2) relieved Hall in the top of the fifth and got into a similar jam. Before he recorded his first out, the Shockers juiced the bases on him.

Bollman displayed effective damage control, though, holding Wichita State to one run in the inning. But that run was enough to give the Shockers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It’s kind of our luck the last couple weeks,” Hall said. “Our pitching hasn’t been very good and our bats have been pretty good and tonight it was just kind of the other way around. But, we have a good ball club here and I think we’re going to come together.”

Kansas looks to rebound tonight at 6 p.m. against Saint Mary (12-9) at Hoglund Ballpark with sophomore left-hander Wally Marciel (2-4) starting for the Jayhawks.

—Edited by Russell Davies

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