Hall, Jayhawks Knock Off Oklahoma State, 8-1
April 10, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes |
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Junior Shaeffer Hall tossed his second complete game of the season, while junior Robby Price backed him with three hits as Kansas downed No. 17 Oklahoma State, 8-1 Friday in the opener of the teams’ three-game Big 12 baseball series at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks, who won their 16th game at home, improved to 21-12 overall and 5-5 in the conference. The Cowboys fell to 21-12 and 4-6 in the Big 12.
Hall was the story of Friday night’s game, recording his second complete game of the season, allowing a run on five hits with no walks and a career-high nine strikeouts. He retired the lead-off hitter in every inning, and set down 10 in a row at one point in the game.
Oklahoma State did not put a base runner into scoring position until Tyrone Hambly’s one-out double in the sixth inning. Hall made just one mistake, a solo home run by Doug Kroll, but was dominate against the team which had scored the second-most runs in the Big 12 this season.
Hall’s offense gave him an early lead and kept adding to it. KU scored in six of their eight innings at the plate.
KU took a 1-0 lead on Oklahoma State ace Andrew Oliver in the first inning on a single by Buck Afenir and a throwing error by Michael Dabbs, which allowed Brian Heere to score from third.
The Jayhawks stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third on a two-run single by Tony Thompson, who was 2-for-3 in the game with three RBIs.
Kansas knocked Oliver out of the game in the fifth after Price and Heere opened the inning with base hits and Thompson again drove in a run to stretch the lead to five.
Oliver went 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
KU put the game out of reach in the seventh as designated hitter Zac Elgie hit his first collegiate home run. The freshman also tripled earlier in the game to give him eight hits in his last three games.
The seven-run margin of victory was the most by the Jayhawks against an Oklahoma State team since 2005, when KU won the opening game of the series 17-3. This was also the last time Kansas won a three-game set from OSU.
The teams will play the second game of their three-game series Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
