Kansas drops series to West Virginia as bats get shut down again
For the second straight game, West Virginia pitching shut down Kansas hitting. The Mountaineers used a strong pitching performance to clinch the series with a 5-2 win at Hoglund Ballpark on Saturday afternoon. It’s the first series loss for Kansas since its Big 12 opener against Texas Tech.
Kansas mustered just five hits and two runs against Chansen Cole and Ian Korn. The Jayhawks struck out nine times and failed to work a walk. The combined three runs over the last two games are Kansas’ lowest scoring output over a two-game stretch this season.
“They’re a good pitching staff. They compete in the zone,” Josh Dykhoff said. “They’ve been good at kind of nibbling on the edges I guess lately… Early in games, we just haven’t put up great at-bats, so we just need to start stacking them up a little bit.”
Mason Cook did a good job keeping Kansas close, getting out of a couple jams in 5.2 innings of one-run ball. West Virginia managed to extend its lead late against the Jayhawks’ bullpen, with Gavin Kelly hitting the deciding two-run shot in the top of the ninth.
Despite the Jayhawks’ first series loss in close to two months, head coach Dan Fitzgerald said there’s no panic among his group. Fitzgerald often talks about the opportunity to respond from adversity, which Kansas now has the opportunity to.
“We talk about this all the time about persevering,” Fitzgerald said. “And the old adage of, if you’re not persevering in baseball, wait 15 minutes. And so, we’re at our 15 minutes now. We’ve got to bounce back, make some adjustments, and come out and win tomorrow.”
Kansas shut down by pair of West Virginia right-handers
West Virginia and Kansas traded deep solo homers in the game’s first frame. Wichita native Paul Schoenfeld got the Mountaineers started with a 390-foot shot over the high wall in center. Tyson LeBlanc answered with a 411-foot blast to knot things at 1-1.
The Mountaineers manufactured a run in the second after a leadoff single from Matthew Graveline. He reached second on a passed ball, third on a groundout, and scored on a deep fly ball from Brodie Kresser.
From there, both starters settled into the game. Chansen Cole retired nine of the next 10 Jayhawks he faced. Mason Cook countered with three scoreless frames of his own. The right-hander stranded the bases loaded in the fifth, inducing a groundout to get out of the jam.
With two outs in the fifth, Josh Dykhoff sent a ball off the fence in center. Schoenfeld missed a jumping catch at the wall, with the ball rolling back toward the middle of center field. Dykhoff raced around the bases, sliding in safely for an inside-the-park home run to tie the game at 2-2.
West Virginia threatened again in the sixth, putting runners on the corners with two outs. Mountaineer head coach Steve Sabins pinch hit Maxwell Molessa, who took his time getting to the plate. Dan Fitzerald countered with Riane Ritter, who struck out Molessa on three pitches to get out of the inning.
Graduate right-hander Ian Korn answered with a pair of zeros for the Mountaineers. After a pair of singles, Armani Guzman grounded one deep in the hole at short. LeBlanc corralled the ball, but the throw couldn’t be dug out at first. Sean Smith scored from second, giving West Virginia a 3-2 lead in the eighth.
It looked like Cade Baldridge had a two-out double in the bottom of the eighth as Kansas looked to answer back. However, the umpires ruled after review that Baldrige got thrown out, ending the frame.
West Virginia capitalized on the defensive momentum, extending its lead late in the game. Gavin Kelly crushed a 432-foot two-run homer off Boede Rahe to give the Mountaineers a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
