⚾️ Kansas Completes Two-Game Sweep of Texas Southern
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas finished off a two-game midweek series sweep of Texas Southern on Wednesday afternoon with a 16-5 win in seven innings. Redshirt junior third baseman Dylan Ditzenberger matched his career high with four hits.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Payton Allen (1-0)
Final Line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
Loss: Kobe Head (0-1)
Final Line: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Kansas scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning to build a 6-0 lead.
• Redshirt seniors Nolan Metcalf and Caleb Upshaw smashed back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the second, giving Kansas the 2-0 lead.
• Redshirt freshman Ryan Callahan hit a two-run single to left field, followed by another two-run single to left by sophomore Maui Ahuna to bring the score to 6-0.
• Texas Southern rallied in the fourth, scoring four runs to cut its deficit to 6-4.
• Kansas scored two runs in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Callahan, followed by an RBI single from Ditzenberger making the score 8-4.
• Texas Southern added a run in the bottom of the fifth.
• Redshirt freshman Jake English hit a two-run double in the fourth to extend KU’s lead to 10-5.
• In the sixth, Ditzenberger hit another RBI single to push the lead to 11-5.
• In the seventh, Ahuna had an RBI groundout and Upshaw had an RBI single before redshirt freshman Jack Hammond ended the game with a three-run homer. With a run rule in effect, the game ended 16-5 after seven innings.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Dylan Ditzenberger: Ditzenberger went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs. His four hits were a season high and matched his career high.
NUMBER OF THE GAME
409: Jack Hammond hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to give Kansas the run-rule win. The home run traveled 409 feet and had an exit velocity of 103 mph.
QUOTABLE
“If you had told me two years ago I would pitch in a college game, I would tell you that you’re crazy. I didn’t pitch my senior year of high school, but I went out there and competed today.” – Freshman infielder/pitcher Payton Allen
“We needed to get some momentum back after a couple tough losses last week. It was really important this week that we found a way to pick up two midweek wins and set the table this weekend for a huge series with Oklahoma.” – Head Coach Ritch Price
NOTES
• Kansas scored a season-high 16 runs on Wednesday.
• Kansas hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning (Nolan Metcalf and Caleb Upshaw). They are the third set of back-to-back home runs this season (Jack Hammond and Caleb Upshaw on April 8 vs. Illinois State and Chase Jans and Tavian Josenberger on March 9 at Charleston Southern).
• Ditzenberger’s four hits were a season high and matched his career high. He was the first Jayhawk this season with four hits and the first since Maui Ahuna and Skyler Messinger each had four hits at Missouri on May 18, 2021.
• Josenberger has now hit safely in 12 straight games.
• Upshaw extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. Upshaw’s seven home runs lead the team.
• Hammond hit his fifth home run of the season to end the game in a run rule. He scored four runs on Wednesday.
• Allen earned his first career win.
• Callahan drove in a career-high three RBIs.
UP NEXT
Kansas (16-20) will host Oklahoma beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. CT to wrap up a five-game homestand. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ and live audio can be heard on the Jayhawk Sports Network.
