Jayhawks Blank Missouri, 6-0, Take Series in Columbia

April 17, 2011

Quotes

COLUMBIA, Mo. –

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Freshman Ka’iana Eldredge went 3-for-3 with a key two-out RBI single, while three Kansas pitchers held Missouri scoreless as the Jayhawks earned their first series victory over the Tigers in Columbia since 1983 with a 6-0 triumph Sunday afternoon in the rubber-game of the three-game set at Taylor Stadium.

KU won its third-consecutive Big 12 series and improved to 18-18 overall and 8-7 in Big 12 play. The Tigers fall to 14-22 overall and 2-9 in conference play. The Jayhawks had not shut out Missouri in Columbia since 1962.

Strong pitching was the story of Sunday’s game as Alex Cox, Thomas Taylor and Frank Duncan held Missouri scoreless on eight hits. Cox earned his second win in as many weeks, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing no runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

The key moment for Cox came in the second when the Tigers loaded the bases with one out and the freshman pitcher induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat. Missouri stranded 12 men in the game, including nine in scoring position.

Meanwhile, KU scored in the first inning and kept adding on throughout the afternoon.

The Jayhawks took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as senior Brandon Macias drove the first pitch he saw off the wall in left field and scored on a sacrifice foul out by fellow senior Jimmy Waters. It marked the third-straight game that KU scored in the first inning.

The Jayhawks added single runs in the fourth and in the sixth. Eldredge collected a two-out RBI single in the fourth to make it 2-0, while junior catcher James Stanfield hit a solo homer to right field in the sixth inning. It was Stanfield’s first career home run.

Brunansky delivered the knock-out blow in the seventh with a two-run homer down the left field line to give the visitors a five-run advantage. Brunansky’s round-tripper marked his second-straight Sunday with a home run after collecting his first of the year in the series finale against Nebraska last weekend.

Taylor and Duncan finished the job on the mound, pitching the final 4 1/3 innings. Taylor entered in the sixth with the bases loaded and got Brandon Champagne to ground out to first to end the threat.

The Jayhawks will take on Saint Mary in a non-conference game Tuesday at Hoglund Ballpark at 6 p.m. The game is a makeup for a weather cancellation earlier in the season.