Jayhawk bats stay hot in win over Tigers

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Jayhawks used 11 hits and a five-run second inning to propel themselves to victory Saturday afternoon, 11-2, in game one of a doubleheader against Texas Southern at Hoglund Ballpark.

Kansas (25-22) tallied five extra-base hits against the Tigers (16-29) including a home run by freshman second baseman James Cosentino – his third-straight game with a bomb. Senior designated hitter MJ Farthing – making his first-career start – also joined in on the effort with a 3-for-4 performance that included a double.
 
Seven different Jayhawks connected for at least one hit, with Farthing, junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin (2-for-3) and sophomore left fielder Devin Foyle (2-for-4) boasting multi-hit efforts. McLaughlin, Cosentino and freshman third baseman Benjamin Sems all tied for the team-high in RBIs with two apiece.
 
Sophomore righty Jackson Goddard (5-3) started on the bump and pitched five solid innings. He struck out seven batters, walked three and allowed just two base hits. More impressively, he picked-off a career-high three base runners. He left the game after the fifth with Kansas on top, 7-0.
 
Relievers Blake Goldsberry, Chase Kaplan and Jeremy Kravetz combined to throw the final four innings. Goldsberry tossed the sixth and gave up the two Texas Southern runs, before Kaplan pitched a career-high two scoreless frames. Kravetz closed it out in the top of the ninth to preserve the Kansas victory, 11-2.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
 
Four games, three home runs: Freshman second baseman James Cosentino hit his third home run in his last four games in the bottom of the fourth inning. He now has four bombs on the season as his first collegiate base hit was a four-bagger he hit on opening day at The Citadel (Feb. 17).
 
Taking advantage: Kansas skipper Ritch Price rewarded senior MJ Farthing with his first-career start in the first of two games against the Tigers. Farthing took full advantage with a personal-best three hits, that included a double. Farthing has now recorded at least one hit in every game he has played this season, and holds a .883 (5-for-6) average on the season.
 
Picked-off: Sophomore right-handed starter Jackson Goddard found himself in trouble in the early innings when he allowed multiple base runners. That didn’t faze him as he picked three runners off base. The last person to pick off three base runners in a game was Ben Krauth at West Virginia (April 24, 2015).
 
UP NEXT
Game two of the Saturday doubleheader will begin at 5:35 p.m. Fans can watch the game on ESPN3 or tune into the audio broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio or on the official “Kansas Jayhawks” app.
 
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