Kansas Finishes Series Sweep of Kansas State with 9-7 Victory

Sunday, April 26

Manhattan, Kan.

11 a.m. CT

University of Kansas

33-11, 17-4

Kansas State

26-18, 9-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Kansas	0	4	1	1	2	0	0	0	1	9	12	0
Kansas State	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	10	0

Kansas Finishes Series Sweep of Kansas State with 9-7 Victory

4/26/2026 8:52:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Statistics Conference Statistics

MANHATTAN, Kan. – No. 16 Kansas Baseball completed a series sweep of Kansas State on the road for the first time since 1963 with a 9-7 victory on Sunday at Tointon Family Stadium that included a weather delay of five-plus hours. The Jayhawks have won six consecutive games and 17 of their last 18 contests.

The win pushed Kansas to 33-11 overall this season and 17-4 in conference play. KU sits in first place in the Big 12 standings with a 3-game lead. Kansas has won six consecutive Big 12 series for the first time in school history.

The teams traded punches early in the game prior to the weather delay. Both teams had a four-run second inning. Kansas State grabbed the lead after three innings, but Kansas took the lead back midway through the fifth.

Kannon Carr was the first arm out of the bullpen for Kansas and threw a tremendous 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. He retired eight straight batters, which included six strikeouts. Carr went on to receive the win.

After returning from the delay, Carter Fink threw three dominant innings of scoreless relief. Fink retired the final seven batters he faced. Rahe came in for the ninth inning and earned his seventh save of the year.

Dylan Schlotterback, Tyson Owens and Tyson LeBlanc all hit home runs in the win. Schlotterback matched his season highs of three hits and four RBIs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• After a scoreless first inning, both offenses broke through in the second.
• Kansas loaded the bases in the top of the second with one out. Josh Dykhoff came up and hit a sacrifice fly to give the Jayhawks their first run. Schlotterback stepped to the plate next and connected on a three-run homer to left field to give Kansas a 4-0 advantage.
• Kansas State (26-18, 9-12 Big 12) answered back in the bottom of the second. The Wildcats began the inning by loading the bases and then Ty Smolinski hit a grand slam to tie the game at 4-4.
• In the third, Dariel Osoria put the Jayhawks back ahead with a sacrifice fly.
• However, the Wildcats responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on back-to-back RBI singles. After three innings, Kansas State led 6-5.
• The Jayhawks tied up the game in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from LeBlanc.
• KU grabbed the lead again in the fifth inning. With one out, Owens hit a go-ahead solo home run. Three batters later, Schlotterback delivered an RBI double to give the Jayhawks an 8-6 edge.
• After walking the first batter he faced, Carr retired eight consecutive Wildcats that included six strikeouts.
• The game entered a weather delay following the final out of the fifth inning.
• Once the game resumed, Fink pitched a scoreless sixth, seventh and eighth inning. That included retiring the final seven batters he faced.
• LeBlanc led off the ninth with a solo homer for an insurance run to make it 9-6.
• The Wildcats got one run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not enough to avoid being swept.

PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Kannon Carr (3-1)
Final line: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO
Loss: Cohen Feser (2-2)
Final line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 SO
Save: Boede Rahe (7)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO

SOCIAL POST OF THE GAME

SUNFLOWER SWEEEEEEP ???? pic.twitter.com/Y1Ufy2fDP7
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) April 27, 2026

QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
"I think it started early, scoring four in the second was big. Unfortunately, they answered back right away with four, but like we did all weekend, every time they scored, we answered. I thought that was really a critical piece of the success of our entire weekend was just responding to any time that a punch was thrown. I think the key to today though was the 2.2 innings from Kannon with six punch outs and then Fink comes in for three innings. Those guys collectively in the middle go 5.2 innings with no runs and I thought they were outstanding. We knew we had Boede for a couple, but obviously we used him yesterday so we were hoping to limit it. Fink has been in a great role for us all year, but he's kind of been that guy that you always have. He can start, he can come in relief, he can close, he can kind of do whatever, but often times he ends up being the guy that was about to go into the game. It was really fun to see him have success. He's a great competitor and just a great Jayhawk." – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald

"I think any series win in this conference is something to really enjoy and to not take for granted. It's just such an incredibly tough league and to do it against a team like this, specifically an offense that K-State has, they're just so dangerous one through nine. They've got some really nice arms and can match up as well. To do it against a team of this caliber was a big deal and to do it again in the Big 12. Just really proud of how we've performed in the league and obviously, we've got a long way to go, but really proud of how the guys competed." – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald

"It took a lot of maturity from our team to sit around for five hours and then come out and still play like we were playing before. We always preach as an offense going into the eighth and ninth innings that we need as many insurance runs as possible. Right there, it actually came up big to get that one insurance run because they got a baserunner on and they still didn't have the tying run at the plate. That was huge." – Tyson LeBlanc

"I tried to treat it like any other appearance. I was just trying to fill up the zone. I wanted to get a lot of plays for the defense and they made all of them." – Carter Fink

"We're playing together. Pitchers are throwing strikes. Hitters are up there trusting the approach, doing their thing. It's just one unified group right now." – Tyson LeBlanc

"I think we play really well together. I think the pitchers do great, the hitters do great and we play great defense, We have great coaches, so it all just works really well together." – Carter Fink

• Kansas improved to 33-11 overall this season and 17-4 in Big 12 play. Seventeen of the 33 victories have come on the road.
• Kansas recorded its first three-game series sweep of Kansas State in Manhattan since 1963. The Jayhawks have won each of the last seven games against Kansas State and eight of the last nine.
• Kansas recorded its fifth series sweep of the season and fourth in Big 12 play this year (at McNeese State, vs. Houston, vs. Utah, vs. No. 12 UCF, at Kansas State).
• Kansas has won six consecutive Big 12 series for the first time in program history.
• Kansas has won six straight games, 17 of the last 18 and 23 of its last 26 contests.
• Kansas is now 17-2 in its last 19 Big 12 games.
• Kansas now has 22 comeback victories this season.
• Kansas has a 21-3 record this season when hitting at least two home runs in a game.
• Kansas has at least 15 conference wins in three consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
• Schlotterback hit his third home run of the season. He matched his season highs with three hits and four RBIs.
• Owens connected on his eighth homer of the year.
• LeBlanc belted his team-high 16th home run of the season.
• Fink tossed a season-high three innings pitched.
• Carr earned his third win of the year.
• Rahe was credited with his seventh save of the year.

UP NEXT
Kansas will travel to Wichita State on Tuesday, April 28 for the second of two midweeks between the schools. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.