⚾️ Kansas Drops Series Finale 7-4 to Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. – After Kansas and Oklahoma split the first two games of the series, the Sooners won the rubber match 7-4 on Sunday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
Redshirt sophomore Michael Brooks had two hits and two RBIs, including a home run in the game to lead the Jayhawks.
Oklahoma (24-20, 9-9 Big 12) built an early lead for a second straight day. The Sooners scored five runs in the first inning and never relinquished the lead from there. Three run-scoring hits and a delayed steal of home gave OU a 5-0 cushion after an inning.
The Jayhawks responded with two runs in the second inning. Freshman Kodey Shojinaga led off the inning with a single. Two batters later, Brooks hit a two-run home run the opposite way to right-center field. Brooks has four home runs this season, with all four coming in the last two weeks.
The Sooners were able to get those two runs back over the next two innings. In the bottom of the second, OU scored an unearned run on an RBI groundout. Then in the third, an RBI double stretched the Oklahoma lead back to five runs by a score of 7-2.
Kansas nearly cut into the deficit in the top of the fourth. Redshirt sophomore Jake English hit a ball to left field that cleared the fence, but the Oklahoma left fielder robbed a would-be two-run home run for the final out of the inning.
In the fifth inning, the Jayhawks trimmed the deficit with a pair of runs. Back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and a stolen base set up runners on first and third with no outs. Freshman Jackson Kline drove in a run with an RBI groundout and sophomore Chase Jans scored on a wild pitch. That brought the score to 7-4, which wrapped up the scoring as Kansas only got one runner on base the remainder of the game.
Junior Ethan Bradford started for Kansas and allowed five runs in 0.2 innings. Juniors Hunter Cashero and Thaniel Trumper combined to throw the remaining 7.1 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits, while walking one and striking out six Sooners.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: James Hitt (4-0)
Final line: 8.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 SO
Save: Will Carsten (2)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
Loss: Ethan Bradford (2-5)
Final line: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 0 SO
NOTES
• Michael Brooks extended his on-base streak to 15 games. Brooks had two hits in the game and has 11 multi-hit games this season.
• Shojinaga pushed his hitting streak to 10 games.
• Jans extended his hitting streak to nine games. He finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Jans leads the team with 15 multi-hit games this season.
• Jake English had his 19-game on-base streak snapped.
UP NEXT
Kansas (21-23, 6-12 Big 12) travels to Missouri on Tuesday night for a matchup that will be broadcast on SEC Network. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
