TCU stuns Kansas in walk-off fashion

FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU third baseman Conner Shepherd hit a walk-off home run, as the Kansas baseball team fell in the Friday night opener at Lupton Stadium, 4-3.

The game had all the mixings of a pitcher’s duel with two high-projected draft picks on the mound. The duo of Kansas starter Ryan Zeferjahn and Horned Frog hurler Nick Lodolo matched each other’s effort inning for inning.

Zeferjahn tossed six frames, giving up three runs off four hits and four walks. Lodolo recorded 11 strikeouts and gave up two runs off two hits and three walks in six innings of his own.

Junior Nathan Barry came on in relief for Zeferjahn and tossed one and 1/3 inning of scoreless baseball. Redshirt-junior Blake Goldsberry (5-6) finished off the eighth before only throwing one pitch in the ninth to Shepherd, who took him deep.

The Jayhawks (27-23, 8-11 Big 12) had their chances throughout the contest stranding 10 runners on base, including three in a bases loaded and nobody out situation in the seventh. KU scratched a run in that frame to tie it up after trailing since the second inning.

However, a combination of four relief pitchers stifled the KU offense with Haylen Green (4-1) picking up the win after a three-pitch strikeout.

Kansas Jayhawks

NOTES

  • The loss snapped KU’s four-game conference winning streak dating back to the Sunday victory at West Virginia (April 21) and the three-game sweep of Texas (May 3-5) last weekend.
  • The Jayhawks have now played in 17 one-run games – they hold a record of 6-11 in those contests.
  • The 10 runners left on base by Kansas marks the 13th time this season it has stranded double figures and the fourth time in league play.
  • The 16 strikeouts marks the sixth time this season the Jayhawks have recorded 15 or more K’s in a game.

UP NEXT
Kansas and TCU play game two of the weekend set Saturday, May 11 with a 2 p.m. first pitch. Fans can watch the action live on FOX Sports Southwest+ or tune into a radio broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio or on KCTE.

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