⚾️ Jayhawks Drop Series Finale 6-5 to Baylor
WACO, Texas — Two solo home runs by Baylor in the seventh inning lifted the Bears to a 6-5 win in the rubber match on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. Redshirt freshman first baseman Cooper McMurray had his first career three-hit day at the plate, including a solo home run in the third inning.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Matt Voelker (2-5)
Final line: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
Save: Chandler Freeman (1)
Final line: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
Loss: Stone Hewlett (1-1)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
HOW IT HAPPENED
• After a scoreless first two innings, Kansas pushed two runs across in the third inning. McMurray hit a solo home run and sophomore second baseman Tavian Josenberger had an RBI single.
• Baylor (18-17) answered in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs on an RBI single by Tre Richardson and a wild pitch to tie the score 2-2.
• McMurray delivered again in the fourth inning with a 2-out, RBI single to put KU back ahead 3-2.
• Sacrifice flies by both teams in the fifth inning made the score 4-3.
• The Bears tied it up in the sixth with an RBI single from Cam Caley.
• In the seventh, Baylor hit two solo home runs, including one off the pole in left to take their first lead of the game at 6-4.
• To leadoff the eighth, Tom Lichty, Jack Hammond and Caleb Upshaw all hit back-to-back-to-back singles. Upshaw’s single brought in Lichty and cut the deficit to 6-5.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Cooper McMurray: McMurray finished the day 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. The three hits were a career high and the home run was his fourth of the season.
NUMBER OF THE GAME
413: McMurray’s home run traveled 413 feet out to right field. The ball was hit 105 miles per hour off the bat and the launch angle was 36 degrees.
QUOTABLE
“Really good performance by our guys. Ryan Vanderhei gave us six really good innings in that heat. He kept us in the ballgame and he gave us an opportunity to win. We had opportunities to score with guys on base. Their bullpen did a good job of shutting us down and holding us to one run when we had a chance to get multiple-run innings. That was a well-played college baseball game.” – Head Coach Ritch Price
NOTES
• Kansas has hit a home run in 10 of its last 11 games.
• Josesnberger went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored. He has a 10-game hitting streak and his three hits were a season high.
• Upshaw extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single in the eighth inning.
• McMurray had his first career three-hit game. He now has four home runs this season.
• Lichty recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the season with a 2-for-4 performance.
UP NEXT
Kansas (14-20) will play in the inaugural Buck O’Neil Classic at Legends Field in Kansas City at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday against Texas Southern. Tickets for the game can be purchased here. The game will be streamed on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ and live audio can be heard on the Jayhawk Sports Network.
