Soliz’s Walk-Off in 11th Gives Jayhawks Win in Game 1 Versus No. 12 UCF

Friday, April 10

Lawrence, Kan.

4 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

24-10, 10-3

UCF

20-10, 10-3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UCF	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	7	1
Kansas	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	10	3

Soliz’s Walk-Off in 11th Gives Jayhawks Win in Game 1 Versus No. 12 UCF

4/10/2026 8:49:00 PM | Baseball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks won their eighth straight game Friday night courtesy of a Max Soliz Jr., walk-off hit, outlasting No. 12 UCF, 4-3, in 11 innings at Hoglund Ballpark.

With the win, the Jayhawks are now tied atop the Big 12 standings with the Knights at 10-3. The two teams will close out the series Saturday at 1 p.m., with a doubleheader.

Knotted at 3-3 in the 11th, Brady Ballinger started things off with a leadoff walk. Following an Augusto Mungarrieta hit by pitch, Tyson Owens dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt down the third base line to move both runners up. Soliz then laced a hit to left to score Ballinger and give Kansas the 4-3 win.

"They love the moment; they love to compete," Coach Dan Fitzgerald said of his squad. "They have become a really cool team with how much they care about each other. As a coach, there are some things you want to take back and redo and we'll address (those). But you can teach that stuff; it's hard to teach the intangible piece of loving the moment and that's what they do."

Boede Rahe, who picked up a three-inning save Tuesday at No. 19 Nebraska, shined again Friday, earning the win. He went three innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out three to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Soliz finished 3-for-5 in the win with a pair of RBIs, while Mungarrieta and Dylan Schlotterback each had two-hit games in the victory. Pitchers Mathis Nayral, Riane Ritter and Rahe combined to allow just one earned run in 11 innings on just seven hits in a strong pitching performance from the Jayhawks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
•Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third, the Jayhawks bats came to life in the bottom half. Josh Dykhoff started the rally when he roped a one-out double to right to put a man in scoring position. The next batter, Schlotterback, followed with a double of his own to bring home Dykhoff and even the game at one apiece.
• Jordan Bach then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Schlotterback, who had advanced to third on a wild pitch, and give the Jayhawks a 2-1 lead.
• Nayral kept the Knights off the scoreboard in the fourth, before seeing some traffic on the basepaths in the fifth. The righty retired the first two batters of the inning, before surrendering back-to-back singles to put two on with two out. The Jayhawks opted to go to the bullpen with Nayral at 103 pitches. Ritter took over and escaped the jam, getting James Hankerson Jr., to strike out swinging to strand both runners.
• Kansas (23-10) then threatened in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with one out. But a strikeout and a groundout from UCF starter Mateo Gray got the Knights out of the inning.
• The Knights (20-10) evened the game up at two in the top of the sixth. Ross DeAmez started the inning with a double and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. He then scored on an RBI single from Austin Jacobs. Ritter got the next batter, Caden Gaskin, to ground into a double play to end the inning.
• Kansas answered right back in the bottom half. Owens drew a two-out walk and then stole second to put a runner into scoring position for Soliz. Soliz lined a double down the left field line to score Owens and give Kansas a 3-2 lead.
• Ritter retired six of the seven batters he faced in the seventh and eighth to put up scoreless frames and keep the Knights at two runs.
• The Jayhawks couldn't muster another run in the seventh or eighth, either, setting up a 3-2 game heading into the ninth.
• Rahe entered and retired the first two batters, before Andrew Williamson reached on a two-out error. Following a walk, Zak Skinner tied the game up with a two-out RBI single to left to score Williamson and tie the game.
• Rahe held UCF scoreless in the 10th and 11th, setting up Soliz's heroics in the bottom of the 11th.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Boede Rahe
Final line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
Loss: Max Murray
Final line: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 SO

SOCIAL POST OF THE GAME

Walk-offs are becoming a common thing around here ?? pic.twitter.com/s7RDlA1fX9
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) April 11, 2026

QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
"I'm proud of all of the guys on this team; I'm really proud of Max Soliz. He has persevered through a lot. He is an awesome teammate. He earned that moment." – Fitzgerald

• Kansas improved to 24-10 overall this season and 10-3 in the Big 12 this season.
• Kansas is riding a season-best eight-game winning streak.
• Kansas has won 14 of its last 16 games.
• Kansas now has 18 comeback victories this season.
• Kansas improves to 4-2 against ranked opponents this season, with two wins this week against
• Soliz, Jr. had a season-high three hits and two RBI in the win, including the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning.
• Rahe improves to 5-1 on the season after earning the win with 3.0 innings of relief work. He has now thrown at least 3.0 innings in each of his last five appearances.
• Schlotterback recorded his 11th multi-hit game of the season, finishing 2-4 with one RBI and a run scored.
• Mungarrietta notched his 12th multi-hit game this season, going 2-4 with a pair of singles.

UP NEXT
Kansas and UCF will continue their three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m., with a doubleheader. The schedule has shifted with the potential for inclement weather on Sunday.