Duncan, Tharp Help Jayhawks Down Mississippi Valley State, 9-2

Feb. 24, 2012

Final Stats

Kansas 9, Miss. Valley State 2 Dudy Noble Field // Starkville, Miss.

Tucker Tharp recorded three RBIs in KU’s 9-2 win over Mississippi Valley State Friday. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R KU 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 1 3 9 MVSU 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 Box Score (.pdf) Leaders – Batting Kansas AB R H RBI BB HR T. Tharp 3 2 1 3 1 0 M. Suiter 3 1 3 0 2 0 MVSU AB R H RBI BB HR J. Germaine 4 1 1 0 0 0 A. Cheek 2 0 1 1 1 0 Pitching Kansas IP H R ER BB SO F. Duncan (W) 7.0 2 2 1 3 7 J. Jakubov 2.0 0 0 0 1 3 MVSU IP H R ER BB SO C. Broadway (L) 4.1 5 3 3 4 2 C. Parker 1.2 2 1 1 0 0 T. Lacy 1.0 1 1 0 1 1 D. Lostra 1.0 1 2 2 1 0 K. Stady 1.0 2 2 2 3 1

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Sophomore pitcher Frank Duncan took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, while fellow sophomore Tucker Tharp drove in three runs as Kansas opened the weekend with a 9-2 victory over Mississippi Valley State Friday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.

The Jayhawks claim their fourth-straight victory to open the season, while the Delta Devils fall to 0-4.

Duncan’s dominance on the mound was the story of the game. The 6-foot-4 sophomore righty did not allow a base hit until a one-out double by Joseph Germaine in the bottom of the seventh. Duncan went seven innings in the game and allowed one earned run on two hits with three walks and a career-high seven strikeouts.

He earned his second victory in as many starts after earning the win in KU’s season-opener against Middle Tennessee State last week.

KU’s offense used two big innings to aid its starting pitcher. With the Jayhawks clinging to a 1-0 lead, Tharp delivered a two-run triple down the right field line to plate Jake Marasco and Connor McKay, who had opened the inning with a base hit and a walk. Senior Zac Elgie gave KU a 4-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to right field, one of three on the day for the Jayhawks.

After MVSU scored two runs in the seventh inning on an RBI single and a Jayhawk error, KU responded with a run in the eighth and a three-run ninth.

Freshman Michael Suiter led the Kansas offense, going 3-for-3 for the second-straight game with a run scored, while McKay went 2-for-4 with his first collegiate home run to lead off the ballgame and three runs scored.

The Jayhawks will take on weekend host Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening.