KU Beats Western Illinois, 11-3, in Game One

March 5, 2006

Box Score

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Behind a career-high 7.0 innings of work from starting pitcher Ricky Fairchild, the University of Kansas (12-4) defeated Western Illinois (2-8), 11-3, in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark.

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The senior struck out a career-best six batters while allowing one run on six hits. Freshmen Nick Czyz and Carter Holt finished the game on the hill for KU in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

Senior Ritchie Price went 4-for-4 at the plate with an RBI in his 200th-consecutive start at shortstop. Sophomore Brock Simpson recorded three RBI on two hits.

Western Illinois used two singles and a double to get on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning. Fairchild worked out of a one-out jam that was capped with a strikeout to end the inning.

Sophomore John Allman gave KU a 2-1 lead with his first home run of the season in the second inning. Allman drove home Gus Milner who reached on an error to lead off the inning.

Allman led off the fourth inning with a walk and moved to third on a double by sophomore Erik Morrison. A ground out byb Simpson scored Allman while Morrison came home on a passed ball. KU left the bases loaded to end the inning.

Morrison and Simpson hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to extend the `Hawks lead to 8-1. A Dylan Parzyk single followed by a Kyle Murphy walk led to an RBI double off the bat of Ritchie Price to cap KU’s three-run fifth inning.

In the sixth, Allman nearly missed his second home run of the day with a double high off the center field wall. Allman scored on Brock Simpson’s RBI single to give KU a nine run cushion. Freshman Andrew Spitzfaden added an RBI single in the eighth inning, the first of his career.

Tyler Johnson hit a two-run homer off Holt to plate WIU’s second and third runs of the game in the top of the ninth.

Game Notes: The game marked senior Ritchie Price’s 200th consecutive start in a Kansas uniform … Price recorded his 800th career at-bat in the first inning … The last time the Jayhawks connected for back-to-back home runs was on May 2, 2004 when Sean Richardson and Jared Schweitzer did it against Texas Tech … KU is now 11-0 all-time against the Leathernecks … Kansas is now 48-0 when scoring 10 or more runs under Ritch Price … KU is now 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader this season.