Quick, Czyz Pitch KU to Victory; Price Sets Hits Record
April 16, 2006
STILLWATER, Okla. –
For the fourth straight Sunday, seniors Kodiak Quick and Don Czyz recorded the win and save, respectively, to lift the University of Kansas to a 7-5 victory over Oklahoma State. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Quick (7-2) struck out two and allowed five earned runs in 5.0 innings to pick up the victory. Czyz pitched the remaining 4.0 innings without allowing a run to pick up his NCAA leading 13th save of the year.
With the win, KU avoided a series sweep and improved to 25-15 on the season and 7-8 in the Big 12. OSU suffered its second home loss of the season (18-2) and dropped to 21-12 overall and 5-7 in Big 12 play.
Senior Ritchie Price set a new Kansas record when he recorded his 275th career hit with a first inning single. Price surpassed Darryl Monroe who suited up for the Jayhawks from 1991-94. Price added to his total with another single in the fourth.
Freshman Preston Land had a career-high three hits including a home run, double and a single while driving in three runs. KU’s 1-through-4 hitters (Brock Simpson, Ritchie Price, Matt Baty and Jared Schweitzer) pounded out nine of KU’s 14 hits on the afternoon.
The Cowboys took a 3-0 lead in the third inning courtesy of two home runs. Keanon Simon hit a solo home run to left field and after Tyler Mach singled, Deik Scram hit a two-run homer.
The Jayhawks came back with three runs of their own in the top of the fourth. Sophomore John Allman ripped an RBI single to score Baty and Schweitzer who led off the inning with singles. Preston Land then plated Schweitzer and Allman with a two-run double.
KU scored three more runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead. Three straight singles by Baty, Price and Schweitzer plated the first run of the inning and sent OSU’s starter Rick Rivas out of the game. Sophomore Erik Morrison welcomed reliever Jeff Breedlove with a two-run single down the left field line. Morrison was thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a double.
OSU cut the lead to 6-5 with two runs in the fifth inning off a sacrifice fly and infield single.
Preston Land pushed the lead to 7-5 with a solo home run over the right-center field fence. The homer was Land’s sixth of the season and second of the series.
Kansas will return home for a pair of mid-week games. KU will host Missouri State Tuesday, April 18 at 6 p.m. and Tabor College on Wednesday, April 19 also at 6 p.m. The Tabor game was added to the schedule after the Kansas-Creighton game was rained out, admission to Wednesday’s game is free.
Game Note: The two teams combined for 21 home runs in the series.
