No. 7 Baylor Downs Kansas Baseball
April 5, 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Sophomores Tony Thompson and Casey Lytle each had three hits Sunday, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop No. 7 Baylor. The Bears hit a school record eight home runs and scored 10 runs over the final three innings to trounce Kansas, 21-9, in a Big 12 baseball game Sunday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks fall to 18-12 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12, while the Bears improve to 20-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
Baylor took advantage of a strong northwest wind blowing out to center field at 30 mph, hitting eight home runs in the game, the most KU has allowed since a 2006 game with Oklahoma State.
Despite the Bears’ offensive onslaught early, the Jayhawks managed to stay within striking distance until the seventh.
The Bears hit three home runs in the frame alone, including a three-run shot by shortstop Shaver Hansen, one of three round-trippers for him on the day.
The Jayhawks did manage to rally from an early 2-0 hole, and after Baylor scored four runs in the third, tie the game at six in the fourth inning on Lytle’s RBI single. Kansas grabbed 14 hits in the game themselves, however just one home run, which was Thompson’s eighth of the season, which cut a five-run deficit to 11-9 in the sixth.
The middle of the Kansas batting order, senior Buck Afenir, Thompson and Lytle combined to go 8-for-15 with seven RBIs.
Kansas will look to bounce back with a midweek series at Iowa, beginning Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Iowa City. Tuesday’s game will be carried on KLWN (1320 AM).
