Aztecs Blank Kansas Baseball, 1-0
March 17, 2009
SAN DIEGO, Calif. –
Freshman Lee Ridenhour pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on three hits, but the Kansas offense couldn’t score for him. San Diego State starting pitcher Sean O’Sullivan pitched seven shutout innings as the Aztecs blanked the Jayhawks, 1-0 Tuesday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
KU drops to 10-6 overall, while San Diego State improves to 12-6 on the season.
The Jayhawks wasted a brilliant pitching performance by Ridenhour. The Lenexa, Kan. native scattered three hits over seven innings, allowing just one run. He struck out a season-high nine hitters, while walking just one.
The only run scored in the game came in the second inning when SDSU’s Cory Vaughn tripled with one out and then scored on Mitch Blackburn’s RBI ground out.
Over his last two outings, Ridenhour has allowed one run on six hits over 15 innings.
His counterpart, O’Sullivan, seemed to have the Luck of the Irish all night long. In the first inning, Robby Price was on first base with a fielder’s choice and Buck Afenir hit a ground ball that appeared to be headed for the hole, but the ball struck Price in the foot to end the inning.
In the seventh, the Jayhawks put together another threat, with runners on first and second and sophomore Tony Thompson at the plate. Thompson lined a shot to right field that Vaughn made an over-the-shoulder catch on and threw back to the infield to double up Brian Heere at second base.
Thompson, who hit the ball hard, went 0-for-3 in the game, his first hitless game of the season. The sophomore snapped a 23-game hitting streak, which is the second-longest in KU history and is tied for the ninth-longest in Big 12 history.
The Jayhawks had one final chance in the ninth, as a single, an error and a hit batsman loaded the bases. However, SDSU closer Addison Reed induced a pop up off the bat of Nick Faunce to end the game.
KU (10-6) will wrap up the road trip with the second game of the series with the Aztecs at 8 p.m. Wednesday in San Diego. The game can be heard live on KLWN (1320 AM).
