Thursday, March 27, 2008
It was a dreary evening as the Jayhawks started their game against Benedictine College Wednesday night. Much like the weather, the Jayhawks came out with a dismal start and found themselves down two in the top of the first.
The game started when Benedictine’s center fielder Michael Marx reached base on a error by freshman third basemen Tony Thompson. The Benedictine College Ravens (9-8) followed with a single and then a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third with no outs. When the top of the first inning was over, the Ravens had scored two runs on three hits.
Photo Gallery
Kansas Baseball vs. Benedictine College
A photo gallery of the Kansas baseball game against Benedictine College Wednesday evening.
The Jayhawks’ bats were silenced until the third inning when the Ravens’ defense allowed the Hawks to climb back in the game. Senior left fielder John Allman hit a ground ball to Benedictine’s second baseman Brett Miller, who threw the ball away allowing Thompson and junior center fielder Nick Faunce to score. Allman’s average continued to climb to .369 on the day, despite the error.
“I think we have been swinging the bats well,” Allman said. “Coming out here and seeing slower velocity, hitters had to make some adjustments and it took a couple innings to get those adjustments.”
The Jayhawks scored two runs off of one hit and two errors. After two unearned runs, the Jayhawks tied the score at 2-2 and remained in a dogfight until the sixth inning. The Jayhawks started the sixth inning off with back-to-back walks by senior designated hitter Casey Larson and senior right fielder Ryne Price.
With runners on first and second, senior shortstop Erik Morrison’s line drive back up the middle brought Larson in to score. Following the base hit, the Jayhawks executed a double steal, moving the runners to second and third.
After going 2-2 in the first game of the day, junior first basemen Preston Land continued his success hitting a deep fly ball to centerfield that brought Ryne Price in for a RBI and the second run of the inning. Land has come on strong as of late and raised his average from .237 to .271 on the day.
“I talked to my hitting coach and it was more of the mental approach than mechanical,” Land said. “Anytime you can string along four or five hits, it really helps your confidence and the ball starts to really slow down when your in the box.”
Faunce and sophomore second basemen Robby Price both tacked on RBI singles that put the Hawks up by four runs. Faunce had a successful day from behind the plate going 2 for 3, with a RBI and a walk.
The Jayhawks’ big inning that included four hits and four runs proved to be enough to distance themselves from the Ravens and improve their record to 18-9 on the season.
The Hawks got two strong pitching performances from senior pitcher Hiarali Garcia and freshman pitcher T.J. Walz. Walz picked up his second win of the year in relief, throwing five and a third innings. He struck out six while surrendering one hit and allowing no runs. After a slow start to the season, Walz built off his last two strong performances and gained momentum going into the Texas A&M series starting Friday.
“I felt like I had good command on my fastball and my slider and curveball were both breaking pretty well,” Walz said. “I was pretty nervous in my first couple outings and I have loosened up and am having more fun and gaining confidence.”
The depth to the pitching staff is something the Jayhawks will need to continue to rely on, as the Big 12 is the strongest it has been in awhile.
“This is a big weekend for us,” Allman said. “We need to get back to .500 and if we can come out and pitch well and hit well, good things are going to happen for us.”
The Jayhawks will play their second Big 12 series of the season, hosting the Texas A&M Aggies starting Friday at 4 p.m.
— Edited by Mandy Earles
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