⚾️ Jayhawks Fall 7-2 in Series Finale to No. 4 Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. — In the final game of the first conference series, the No. 4 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 7-2 on Sunday afternoon at O’Brate Stadium. The top seven hitters in the batting order for Kansas recorded at least one hit.
For the third consecutive game, Kansas scored first against Oklahoma State. After three scoreless innings, the Jayhawks offense broke through in the fourth. A two-out rally began on a single by redshirt freshman outfielder Jack Hammond. Hammond advanced to second base on a wild pitch and came around to score on an RBI double off the bat of redshirt senior outfielder Caleb Upshaw to make the score 1-0.
Oklahoma State (18-6) responded right away by taking the lead in the bottom half of the inning. A leadoff solo home run and a sacrifice fly gave the Cowboys a 2-1 lead.
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, KU cut the lead in half. Sophomore shortstop Maui Ahuna led off the inning with a double and redshirt freshman Jake English drove him in with an RBI single. That made the score 3-2.
OSU then scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take control of the game.
Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Vanderhei started on the mound Sunday. He received the loss after throwing five and two thirds innings, allowing six runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out five.
Kansas (8-14) returns home to face Wichita State at Hoglund Ballpark on Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT. 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.
Notes
• Kansas’ bullpen did not allow an earned run in three games against No. 4 Oklahoma State (6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO).
• Tavian Josenberger extended his hitting streak to 11 games and on-base streak to 13 games.
• Jack Hammond has hit safely in seven consecutive games and reached base safely in eight straight games.
• Caleb Upshaw has recorded an RBI in three of the last four games.
