Kansas baseball opens series with win at Minnesota
Kansas opened its four-game set outlasting Minnesota and hanging on for an 8-7 win inside U.S. Bank Stadium. The victory pushed the Jayhawks to 6-2 on the season and extended their winning streak to four games. It also showcased an offense that set their season high for hits in a game.
Minnesota struck first with back-to-back solo home runs in the third inning, taking a 2-0 lead. The Jayhawks worked their way back into the game over the next several frames.
Dylan Schlotterback cut the deficit in half with a two-out RBI single in the fourth. Josh Dykhoff followed an inning later with a two-out RBI knock of his own, tying the game at 2-2 and that would be the last time the Jayhawks would trail.
In the sixth, Kansas broke through. After a leadoff double and single put runners at the corners, Schlotterback delivered one of the biggest swings of the night, driving a three-run home run to left-center field to give the Jayhawks a 5-2 advantage.
Minnesota responded with a run in the bottom half, but Kansas answered again in the seventh. Back-to-back walks set the stage for Augusto Mungarrieta, who launched a three-run shot to stretch the lead to 8-3.
[KU set for four game series with the Gophers]
The Gophers did not go quietly. A three-run homer in the seventh trimmed the margin to 8-6, and a solo shot in the ninth cut it to 8-7. Minnesota had the tying run in scoring position, but Kansas recorded the final three outs to seal the win.
Afterward, head coach Dan Fitzgerald told his team he liked the fight he saw to open the series.
“Right after the game I talked to the guys about how proud I was of how we fought,” Fitzgerald said. “Go down 2-0, tie it up 2-2, go up 5-2, give up a run and it’s 5-3, score three, they score three — it was just back and forth and some really high-level baseball.”
He continued:
“What I liked most was we responded each time and guys picked other guys up,” Fitzgerald said. “We had some timely hits and did a really nice job. Thirteen hits is a lot of hits, and you throw in seven walks. A lot of guys got on base and had a really good approach, and the pitchers came through huge in this one.”
Kansas finished with 13 hits, matching a season high, and worked seven walks. The pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts, marking the third time this season the Jayhawks have reached double digits in punchouts.
Mason Cook started and went four innings, allowing two runs while striking out four. Six relievers followed, with Boede Rahe, Toby Scheidt and Caleb Deer among those who delivered scoreless outings. Riane Ritter earned the win, and Deer closed it out for his second save of the season.
Schlotterback talked about his three-run homer that gave the Jayhawks their first lead of the game.
“I’ve just been keeping my head down and working,” he said. “I knew it was going to come eventually. Their pitcher was throwing cutters, so I was ready for it. He left one up and I was able to get ahold of it.”
He echoed what Fitzgerald said about the team finding a way to battle back and close it out.
“It was a great team win and we had great fight,” Schlotterback said. “We showed a lot of fight out there against a good team, and it sets us up for a good weekend.”
Kansas has now recorded double-digit hits in four games this season. Brady Ballinger extended his hitting streak to eight games, and Dykhoff has hit safely in seven straight.
They will have Thursday off and resume the series at 6 p.m. on Friday.
