Thursday, April 23, 2009
KANAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Jayhawks leaned against the railing of their dugout at Kauffman Stadium and waved their hats at their teammates on the field, trying to will them back to the dugout with their 7-3 lead intact late in the ninth inning.
It’s a superstition that the team partakes in nearly every inning of every game, but this time there was a new aspect. Behind the Jayhawks dugout, roughly 2,000 Kansas fans roared a familiar chant.
“Rock chalk, Jayhawk, KU.”
The Jayhawks, who haven’t had a crowd larger than 1,200 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, fed off the energy and closed out the win with style. Sophomore right-hander Brett Bochy struck out Missouri leadoff man Austin Holt for the victory.
Junior shortstop David Narodowski celebrates at the plate after Buck Afenir hit a home run alongside Nick Faunce. Kansas won 7-3 against Missouri Wednesday night.
“It was a great atmosphere to come out here and pitch in with all the fans getting up,” Bochy said. “And it’s a huge win to get a win over a rival like that.”
The Jayhawks have gone 19-2 in the park they affectionately call “the Hog,” but they still hadn’t seen support like this until Wednesday night. Even the seniors were awed by the chant, one that they haven’t heard this season. Senior catcher Buck Afenir struggled to find the words to describe the emotions.
“That was awesome, man. It was awesome,” he said. “I was telling somebody as were walking off the field that it was just—just, it was just, huge, you know, to hear that and the game’s not even over. To have that confidence going on with the fans is just a great feeling as a program.”
Senior first baseman Preston Land hit what proved to be the game-tying home run in the sixth inning. It was his third of the season, and it made the night a whole lot sweeter for the Kansas fans—and more bitter for those clad in black and gold.
“It’s an adrenaline rush, for sure. Any time you hit a ball out of a major league park it feels really good,” Land said. “But when there’s a bunch of KU fans here and a bunch of MU fans here not wanting to see the other team win, and I hit the ball that puts us ahead, you know, it was huge. It was a really good feeling.
Junior shortstop David Narodowski played in his first Border War game, and even though the game was at a neutral site, the level of support surprised him.
“That gave me goosebumps, when I heard the chant,” Narodowski said. “It was so loud. If we could get that at the Hog, that would be awesome.”
The Jayhawks are 2-0 at Kauffman against the Tigers now, and coach Ritch Price is loving the success.
“I don’t know if we’ll call this Hoglund Park East, yet,” Price said. “But it’s a great feeling to come in here and play.”
— — Edited by Carly Halvorson
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