Kansas Baseball Blanks Wichita State, 8-0

March 11, 2009

Final Stats | Quotes

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Junior Robby Price went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs, while freshman Lee Ridenhour pitched eight scoreless innings as Kansas shut out Wichita State, 8-0, Wednesday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

The win, KU’s sixth in a row, improves the Jayhawks to 9-3 on the season, while the Shockers fall to 6-6. The 8-0 win also marked just the third time in the series that KU has shut out the Shockers, and first since 1956.

The Jayhawks rode their star freshman, Ridenhour, to their ninth win of the season. The 6-foot-3 righty scattered three hits over eight innings, allowing one walk to go with five strikeouts.

Ridenhour won his third straight decision, taking over the team lead with three wins this season. It also dropped his season ERA to 1.71.

Senior Paul Smyth finished the game with a perfect ninth, his fourth in a row.

Ridenhour’s performance was buoyed by the Kansas offense, which picked things up in the fourth. Price broke the scoreless tie with a lead off home run to right field. It was the junior’s second home run of the season after hitting an inside-the-park round-tripper against Northwestern last Friday.

KU added a second run with a walk, a wild pitch and a Tony Thompson single to take a 2-0 lead. Thompson’s lone base hit extended his hitting streak to 20 games, which ties him for the third-longest streak in KU history with Matt Tribble.

The Jayhawks doubled their advantage in the fifth, as Jason Brunansky tripled to left field and Price doubled him home, and came around to score on Buck Afenir’s RBI ground out.

Price also doubled home two more runs in the sixth to cap a three-run rally and virtually seal the game. The junior’s four RBIs were a career high.

Junior David Narodowski added a pair of hits, while Jason Brunansky scored twice.

The win was KU’s first over Wichita State since March 29, 2006.

The Jayhawks (9-3) will travel to Surprise, Ariz., to battle No. 4 Arizona State in a three game series, beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CST). The game can be heard live online via audio webcast on kuathletics.com.