Phoenix ? Northwestern scored five runs in the fifth inning and handed Kansas its first loss of the baseball season, 5-4, Friday in the Oakland A’s/Rawlings Spring Training Tournament.
“I thought we came out a little sluggish and didn’t play with a whole lot of intensity,” Kansas coach Bobby Randall said.
The Jayhawks opened the season with four straight victories.
Kansas starting pitcher Justin Wilcher blanked Northwestern through four innings but yielded five runs in the fifth.
Senior reliever Sam Gish retired Joe Hietpas on a popup to end the inning. Gish allowed six hits over the final 41/3 innings but didn’t permit a run.
The Jayhawks responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, two in the sixth and one in the eighth to draw within 5-4.
But NU’s Andy Adams pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save.
KU’s Doug Dreher went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and scored two of the Jayhawks’ four runs.
The Jayhawks dropped to 4-1; Northwestern improved to 3-2.
“We will need to do a better job tomorrow to get back in the win column,” Randall said.
Because of a scheduling conflict with the Oakland A’s, the Jayhawks will play two games today, rather than one today and one Sunday as originally scheduled.
KU will play Northern Iowa at 5 p.m. and Ball State at 8 p.m.