Jayhawk Baseball Defeats South Dakota State 13-5
Feb. 17, 2005
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior shortstop Ritchie Price went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI as the University of Kansas baseball team defeated South Dakota State 13-5 on Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark.
The win gives the Jayhawks a 2-0 lead in the series and improves their overall record to 8-3 this season. The Jackrabbits drop to 0-2.
KU jumped out to an early lead in the game, plating three runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Ritchie Price drove in the first run on an RBI single and the Jayhawks went on to score two more runs in the inning on a pair of errors by SDSU third baseman Tyson Fisher.
The Jackrabbits got on the board in the top of the second inning, scoring twice in the inning off of KU starter Sean Land.
Land (1-1) picked up his first win of the season, throwing six innings and allowing three earned runs while striking out six and walking none.
Kansas added a run in the bottom of the second inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ritchie Price.
South Dakota State scored two runs in the top of the third inning off of Land to tie the game at 4-4.
The Jayhawk offense broke the game open by scoring three runs in the fourth inning and five runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 12-4 lead.
In the fourth inning, senior first baseman Andy Scholl delivered at the plate tripling to drive in a run. Ritchie Price and Mike Dudley also contributed with RBI singles in the inning.
Scholl finished the game 2-for3 with four runs scored and one RBI.
“I deliberately sat Andy yesterday to try to get him to relax,” said Kansas head coach Ritch Price. “We need him in the line-up, he is an impact player.”
Freshman outfielder Brock Simpson plated in the first run of the sixth by driving in Erik Morrison who had reached on a strikeout wild pitch. Simpson scored in the next at bat when junior outfielder Matt Baty connected on his first home run of the season. Senior catcher Sean Richardson added a RBI double later in the inning.
“I’m very please with (Matt) Baty,” added Ritch Price. “He comes to play every game.”
Ritchie Price drove in the final Jayhawk run of the ballgame on a RBI triple in the seventh inning.
Kansas baseball will conclude the series with South Dakota State with doubleheader on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
