NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a game that was pushed back two hours due to weather and wind, the Belmont Bruins defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 7-5 on Friday night at E.S. Rose Park. Graduate pitcher Collin Baumgartner had a season-high nine strikeouts in his start.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Jett Thielke (1-0)
Final line: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
Loss: Thaniel Trumper (0-1)
Final line: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Kansas took the lead at the first opportunity it got on Friday night. Sophomore Luke Leto hit an RBI single into the left-center gap to score sophomore Chase Jans and give the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead. Jans led off the game and found himself with a double courtesy of the swirling wind.
• Belmont responded by scoring two runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 advantage. A double set up the Bruins on second and third with one out and both runs came in to score on an RBI groundout and wild pitch.
• The Jayhawks were able to even the game in the top of the fourth at 2-2. After another wind-blown ball, Kansas had runners at second and third with one out. Freshman Kodey Shojinaga then came up and drove in Leto with an RBI groundout.
• The Bruins again answered Kansas with one run in the fourth inning and two runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.
• Kansas put together a three-run seventh inning to tie the score at 5-5. The tone for the inning was set by redshirt junior Collier Cranford who worked a 13-pitch plate appearance to draw a walk. The Jayhawks eventually loaded the bases with one out. A bases-loaded walk by redshirt sophomore Michael Brooks, a bases-loaded infield single by redshirt sophomore Mike Koszewski and an RBI groundout from Jans evened the game.
• For the third time in the game, Belmont came back and took the lead. A two-out, two-strike double off the bat of Blake Barton scored two runs and put the Bruins ahead again 7-5.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Luke Leto: Leto was the only Jayhawk with two hits on Friday night. He got the offense started with a first-inning RBI single. The multi-hit effort was the second of the season for Leto.
NUMBER OF THE GAME
3: Belmont answered Kansas three times in the game. After Kansas took a 1-0 lead, Belmont came back and took a 2-1 lead. When Kansas tied the game at 2-2, Belmont scored to take a 3-2 advantage. Then, when Kansas tied the game at 5-5, Belmont came up with a timely hit to make the game 7-5.
NOTES
• Leto, an LSU transfer, has run-scoring hits in the first inning in four of the last five games.
• Brasosky, a Tennessee transfer, has not allowed a run in 10.0 innings pitched this season.
• Baumgartner, a SIU-Edwardsville transfer, recorded a season-high nine strikeouts.
• Cranford, a fellow transfer from LSU, has reached base safely in all eight games this season.
• Jans hit leadoff for the first time in his career. He finished 1-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored.
UP NEXT
Kansas (5-3) will play game two of the three-game series against Belmont on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The game was originally set for 1 p.m. CT, but it was moved back an hour due to the start time of Friday’s game being pushed back.
