SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Leadoff man Kyle Murphy's third home run of the season wasn't enough.

The Kansas University baseball team fell, 7-2, to Missouri State on Tuesday.

Murphy collected two of KU's four hits in the game, while starting pitcher Andres Esquibel had two rough innings, but retired 12 straight in between. The junior righty worked six innings, scattering six hits and five earned runs and striking out four.

MSU scored two more runs off the KU bullpen on a bloop single and a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 7-1 in the seventh.

Kansas answered by loading the bases in the eighth, but could muster only one run, on a wild pitch by reliever Buddy Baumann.

The Jayhawks fall to 15-15 and will travel to Columbia, Mo., to face No. 25 Missouri in a three-game series, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.