Jayhawks swept at St. John’s

QUEENS, N.Y. – The Kansas baseball team lost its third-straight contest Sunday afternoon after St. John’s completed the series sweep, 11-3, at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
 
Kansas (13-6) struck out 14 times at the plate against Red Storm (7-9) pitching, including eight against SJU starter Jeff Belge (1-3). KU starter Eli Davis (2-2) lacked rhythm on the mound and was tagged for five runs off nine hits and three walks in three and 2/3 innings of work.
 
Those five runs were plenty for St. John’s as the Jayhawks’ offense couldn’t match the effort of Red Storm pitching. Each time Kansas reached base, SJU hurlers found a way to get out of the jam, limiting KU to just three runs off five hits.
 
Three of those five hits for went for extra bases with sophomore Conner VanCleave (triple), junior James Cosentino (double) and sophomore Skyler Messinger (double) combining in the effort.
 
NOTABLES

• Sophomore Conner VanCleave hit his first-career triple in a pinch-hit situation in the top of the sixth inning.
• The Jayhawks allowed 15 hits – the most by an opponent this season.
• Kansas amassed 14 strikeouts at the plate marking the fifth time this season KU recorded double-digit K’s.

 
QUOTES
Head coach Ritch Price
On the pitching performances:
“I want to complement our pitching staff. We have played 19 games and I think we have only had two bad starts on the mound. Eli Davis didn’t give us a really good start today. Our bullpen has been fabulous all season and today it wasn’t really good and you end up getting your rear kicked.”
 
On the lack of offense:
“All you can do is hope the guys you are counting on to carry your club can make adjustments. You look out there today and your impact guys combined for eight strikeouts. If you are going to get pitched a certain way, you have to make adjustments. It is about being tough enough mentally and physically.”
 
UP NEXT
Kansas continues its stretch of road games as it travels to Wichita State for a midweek matchup Wednesday, March 20. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

FOLLOW
/KansasBaseball
@KUbaseball
@KUbaseball

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.