Jayhawks win game two over McNeese State, going for the sweep
The Jayhawks baseball team carried momentum from the first game into Saturday afternoon, jumping out early and rolling to an 8–2 victory over the McNeese State Cowboys baseball team at Joe Miller Ballpark to secure the series win.
Kansas set the tone scoring four times in the opening inning as the first five hitters all reached with base hits. Brady Ballinger opened the scoring with an RBI single; Tyson LeBlanc followed with a two-run double and Josh Dykhoff added another run with a double to give the Jayhawks control.
The offense continued to apply pressure in the second inning, with Ballinger delivering an RBI single and LeBlanc lifting a sacrifice fly to push the lead to six. Kansas tacked on another run in the third on an RBI fielder’s choice by Jordan Bach, building a commanding 7–0 advantage through three innings.
McNeese managed an unearned run in the third and a solo home run in the fifth, but Kansas never allowed the Cowboys to gain momentum. Cade Baldridge added an RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring and get the lead back to six runs.
Ballinger finished with a season-high four hits, while Bach collected three and both Baldridge and Dariel Osoria added two apiece as Kansas posted a season-best 13-hit performance.
On the mound, junior Mathis Nayral delivered another solid start, working five innings while allowing just one earned run. He struck out six before handing the game to the bullpen. Carter Fink, Riane Ritter and Caleb Deer combined for four scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one hit and one walk.
“Good team effort,” Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “I really liked the job Mathis did. He was efficient, got us through five, and then we were able to line it up with Carter, Riane and Caleb. I thought all three of those guys were really good and got the job done.”
Fitzgerald said limiting baserunners played a key role in controlling the game, while the offense got them out to an early lead.
“We really minimized baserunners today, which was huge,” Fitzgerald said. “Offensively, we were out there all day. We had 13 hits and eight walks, and I thought we did a really good job of winning the strike zone. We also played really clean on defense. It was a great win.”
Final game of the series
With the victory, Kansas improved to 4–2 on the season and put themselves in line for a chance to complete the sweep in Sunday’s series finale, scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN+.
True freshman Madden Seidl from Emporia is scheduled to get his second start of the season.
