Kansas Baseball Earns No. 7 Seed for Big 12 Tournament
May 22, 2005
LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second time in three seasons under head coach Ritch Price, the University of Kansas baseball team has qualified for the Big 12 Baseball Tournament and will enter next week’s tournament as the No. 7 seed after falling to Oklahoma State, 9-3, on Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks finish the regular season 36-26 and 11-15 in Big 12 play and will face No. 2 seed Baylor at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Ballpark.
In Sunday’s contest, the Cowboys, who had dropped the first two games of the three-game set and were looking to avoid the sweep, took their first lead of the series in the top of the first inning as they plated a pair of runs off KU starter Scott Sharpe.
Sharpe (2-1) was the first of five pitchers used by the Jayhawks in the game and pitched only one inning and allowed two runs.
Kansas answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the second as the Jayhawks loaded the bases for freshman Erik Morrison, who was hit with a pitch to drive in his 36th run of the season and cut the OSU lead to 2-1.
Oklahoma State retook momentum in the top of the third inning as it put a three spot on the scoreboard to open a 6-2 advantage. The inning was highlighted by a three-run home run from OSU first baseman Adam Carr, who also tallied a RBI for the Cowboys in the top of the fourth on a run-scoring single.
In the bottom of the fifth, KU junior shortstop Ritchie Price, who finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate, was able to slice into the Oklahoma State lead as he collected a RBI double off the wall in right centerfield.
Carr would again go deep in the top of the seventh as he slammed a two-run home run to push the OSU lead to 8-2.
Kansas junior outfielder A.J. Van Slyke collected his team-leading 57 RBI of the season in the home half of the eighth frame as he scored centerfielder Matt Baty on a sacrifice fly to right field. Baty finished the game with a season-high three hits in a 3-for-5 performance.
In the top of the ninth inning, Carr completed his day at the plate with his third home run of the game which gave OSU the final advantage of 8-3. The blast was the Big 12-leading 21st of the season for Carr, who finished the game 4-for-4 with eight RBI in the contest. Cowboy leadoff hitter Chris Gutierrez as also perfect on the day, as he was 5-for-5 at the plate.
