NCAA Tournament: KU Falls in Elimination Bout to Kentucky, 8-6
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Gritty, tough and relentless; interchangeable words that describes a Kansas baseball team that refused to go down without a fight Sunday afternoon in NCAA postseason play.
Although the unthinkable didn’t happen, the Jayhawks (35-26) gave Kentucky a run for its money clawing their way back from an 8-0 deficit to pull within two runs of the Wildcats (37-24) at Jim Patterson Stadium.
“When we got down early in the game, it was too early in the game to give up,” senior catcher Ka’iana Eldredge said. “We were down seven runs in the fourth, with so much game left to be played. As you saw, we made a run at the end and put ourselves in a position to win the game late. Fortunately for Kentucky, they were able to put up two more runs than us and that won the ball game.”
Eldredge made sure to do his part to help the Jayhawks attempt an 8-0 comeback, mashing one over the wall in left field on his final collegiate at bat for the second home run of his career.
“So many things go through your head when you walk up to the plate late in a ball game and you’re down,” Eldredge said. “I remember thinking the same thing in high school; this could possibly be my last at bat. You just have to go up there and have fun with it. I didn’t think too much and I got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it. It was great that it went out of the ballpark so I can tell my kids my last collegiate at bat was a home run.”
The round tripper came two innings after Kansas rallied to put up a five-spot in the sixth with a little help from five-consecutive base hits. Kansas opened the frame with four-straight singles , before sophomore first baseman Jacob Boylan roped a two-run double down the line in left field, all with no outs. A sacrifice fly and an RBI ground out later, KU had cut that 8-0 deficit down to just three runs, 8-5.
Had the Jayhawks pitchers been a bit more effective, five runs may have been the difference in the ballgame. However, the staff combined to give up eight runs off 11 hits including five runs and five hits for right-handed starter Robert Kahana (4-7).
“I made the comment yesterday that (Robert) Kahana didn’t get to pitch in the Big 12 Tournament,” Kansas head coach Ritch Price said. “It has been almost two weeks since he has been on the mound. We scrimmaged ourselves before we left and he was actually pretty good. I was concerned – if he got off to a good start I think you would have seen a completely different guy. Unfortunately for us, his command wasn’t very good and he was behind in the count. Kentucky can really hit the fastball.”
Price gives credit to Kentucky starter freshman Zack Brown (1-1), for holding the Jayhawks scoreless through five frames.
“You look at the numbers of hits per innings pitched and you look at his opponent batting average at .360 – we liked our chances,” Price said. “I think the thing was we got buried early and I think it took us a while mentally to recover from that after they hit us in the mouth in the first and second inning. He commanded his fastball well and showed a good breaking ball.”
Brown kept KU off the board until the sixth inning when Kansas put up the five-spot. KU didn’t score again until the eighth when the dinger by Eldredge cut the lead to two runs, 8-6, and allowed for the Jayhawks to take one final stab at completing the comeback in the ninth inning.
Kansas managed to get the tying run to the plate after a one-out walk by sophomore second baseman Colby Wright, but two quick outs followed to end the game and season for the Jayhawks.
Although the comeback didn’t quite happen like the movies portray, Eldredge hopes the team can use the momentum left by the senior class and continue the growth of the KU program.
“For the seniors, this was our first time in the NCAA Tournament,” Eldredge said. “It has been cool to be here and an awesome experience. We told the younger guys it’s all a learning experience. They know what to do and how hard to play going forward, and coach Price is going to have a lot more NCAA tournament appearances if the young kids continue to work hard and have the passion for the game.”
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QUOTES
Head coach Ritch Price, 12th season, Third regional appearance at KU
Opening statement:
“First off I congratulate Kentucky on a good win. Obviously we didn’t pitch as well as we needed to pitch to win the baseball game today. They took advantage of power counts and were very physical with the bat. I thought their short game execution was good. Those two drag bunt base hits in that four-run inning were perfectly placed and perfectly executed. It’s a really good win for Kentucky.”
On what the regional appearance does for the future of the Kansas program:
“When I was hired, my AD asked me to make the NCAA Tournament every four years, and that is exactly what we have done. We bring freshman in to our program and develop our own guys. We are one of the few BCS programs that doesn’t run guys off or run guys in and out – make a four-year commitment. We want our players to graduate and be first-class citizens on and off the field and be Jayhawks for life. That is really our mission statement. We are really excited about our recruiting class. We have as many as five or six high school pitchers that could be drafted. We have lost like two guys a year in the draft the last two years, and we are not allowed to over sign. It’s a really tough situation. The more high profile guys you get to help turn your program around the more guys you are susceptible to lose. It’s one of those things we deal with on a daily basis. Our goal is to start making these (NCAA Tournament) on a consistent basis. We thought we should have got in last year and got snubbed. I am happy for our upper classmen in our program and I think it was a great learning experience for our 10 freshmen. I think I made the comment yesterday that (Robert) Kahana didn’t get to pitch in the Big 12 Tournament. We were two and out and lost two tough one-run games. It has been almost two weeks since he has been on the mound. We scrimmaged ourselves Tuesday and he was actually pretty good. I was concerned – if he got off to a good start I think you would have seen a completely different guy. Unfortunately for us, his command wasn’t very good and he was behind in the count. Kentucky can really hit the fastball.”
On the loss of Dakota Smith for the NCAA Tournament:
“The reality of it is you lose your four-hole hitter, who has been the hottest hitter on our team the last month and his numbers are really good. For those of you that don’t know, the reason Ryan Pidhaichuk didn’t play was because he broke a bone in his hand Tuesday, so we also lost our first baseman. We kind of hid that one and put him in to just play defense. So we basically played the last two and a half games without two of our starters. We are obviously not nears as good one through nine without those two guys in our lineup.”
On the Louisville vs. Kentucky matchup:
“You know, it’s a really interesting contrast of styles. First off, the people of Louisville did a phenomenal job running this tournament. From the site directors to the gentleman on the field with all the delays on Friday, he was fabulous. Everybody has been first class since we walked in here Tuesday night. I think Louisville is that team that has tremendous team speed and they try to accentuate that speed and use it as a plus. Kentucky has two or three guys that are plus runners in their lineup, but they are very physical. It will come down to keeping the ball in the ballpark. I think if Kentucky is physical with the bat they have a chance to win today if they put up some crooked numbers.”
On what Kentucky’s starter Zack Brown did so well today:
“I looked at his numbers. You look at the numbers of hits per innings pitched and you looked at his opponent batting average at .360 and we liked our chances. I think the thing was we got buried early and I think it took us a while mentally to recover from that after they hit us in the mouth in the first and second inning. He commanded his fastball good and showed a good breaking ball. I am actually surprised he could have a .360 opponent batting average with as good as his breaking ball was today. I think the young man took a big step forward for them.”
Ka’iana Eldredge, Sr., C, Honolulu, Hawaii
On the fight back after falling behind 8-0:
“When we got down early in the game, it was too early in the game to give up. We were down seven runs in the fourth, with so much game left to be played. When you’re in the NCAA tournament anything can happen – any comeback can happen – we just have to keep playing. As you saw we made a run at the end and put ourselves in a position to win the game late. Fortunately for Kentucky they were able to put up two more runs than us and that won the ballgame.”
On how he thought Kentucky starting pitcher Zack Brown threw:
“That’s good stuff. He had a good fastball and a good breaking ball. As a young guy I’m sure he is going to have a lot of innings pitched later on in his career. He did well, he was physical with our bats, and took us out of our game early on, and we didn’t figure him out until late in the game. He did a good job.”
On what this regional means to the Kansas program:
“For the seniors this was our first time in the NCAA tournament. It has been cool to be here and an awesome experience. We told the younger guys it’s all a learning experience. They know what to do and how hard to play going forward, and coach (Ritch) Price is going to have a lot more NCAA tournament appearances if the young kids continue to work hard and have the passion for the game to get to these kind of situations and games. This whole experience is great for the young kids and the seniors, and we were fortunate enough to be part of it.”
On his last collegiate at bat:
“So many things go through your head when you walk up to the plate late in a ball game and you’re down. I remember thinking the same thing in high school; this could possibly be my last at bat. You just have to go up there and have fun with it. I didn’t think too much and I got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it. It was great that it went out of the ball park so I can tell my kids my last collegiate at bat was a home run. It was fun, it was a great tournament. I’m so proud of these players and this team from where we have been and how far we have come.”
On his last high school at bat:
“I hit a double down the line, I’ll remember that one forever.”
