Missouri Downs No. 23 Kansas, 8-5
May 8, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. –
Buck Afenir, Robby Price and Tony Thompson each homered Friday night, but it was not enough. Missouri center fielder Greg Folgia hit a pair of home runs, including a three-run inside the park round-tripper in the bottom of the sixth to break open a one-run game and lead the Tigers to an 8-5 triumph over 23rd-ranked Kansas at Simmons Field.
The Jayhawks fall to 34-17 overall and 12-10 in the Big 12, while MU improves to 29-22 and 15-10 in the conference.
With Missouri up 4-3 and two on with two outs in the sixth inning, Folgia lined a ball off the wall in center field and eluded the Kansas outfield, allowing the Missouri center fielder record the first inside-the-park homer against the Jayhawks in 11 years.
The blow proved to be too big of a hole to overcome as Price and Thompson hit solo homers in the final two innings.
The Tigers plated single runs in the first two innings to grab an early edge.
However, in the third the Jayhawks finally fought through against Missouri ace Kyle Gibson. With two outs in the inning, Price doubled and Heere walked, setting up Afenir to blast his seventh homer of the season. Afenir cracked a 2-1 pitch into the Missouri bullpen giving Kansas a brief 3-2 lead.
Thompson followed with a two-out double down the left field line. However, following the sophomore’s 19th two-base hit of the season, Gibson settled down and retired 13 in a row until Price’s solo homer with one out in the eighth.
The Missouri offense picked up its pitcher with single runs in the fourth and fifth, before Folgia’s three-run homer in the sixth pushed the advantage to 7-3.
Thompson’s ninth inning home run gives him 16 on the season, the most by a Jayhawk since Travis Metcalf set the school record with 18 round-trippers in 2004.
Kansas will look to bounce back in game two of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. at Simmons Field. The game will be carried on KLWN (1320 AM).
