Kansas can win one-run baseball games after all.
The Jayhawks plated two runs in the ninth inning and one in the 10th for a thrilling 8-7 victory over Sunflower State rival Kansas State on Sunday at soggy Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas 8, K-State 7
ESoto, Nelson, Klocksien, Wheeler. DPKSU 1, KU 0. LOBKU 12, KSU 8. 2BCastillo, Cavender, Maloney, Soto, Spanish. HRCavender, Gremminger. SBAppuhn, Spanish, C. Wheeler. SHLoudabarger, Crone, Murdock, Spanish 2, Del Chiaro. SFCavender, Nelson.
WPSmith, Brazeal, Day, Wilcher. PBCavender. HBPC. Wheeler (by Day). T2:58. A550. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The win marked KU’s first one-run win in Big 12 play against eight setbacks. It also was KU’s first victory in a Big 12 series, the Jayhawks taking two of three weekend contests from the Wildcats.
“I felt like the curse went away after that home run,” KU right fielder Jesse Gremminger said after his 415-foot, two-run homer to rightcenter field in the bottom of the ninth plated Ryan Klocksien and erased a two-run deficit.
“We haven’t been able to win games in the last inning. It’s always been us losing the game in the last inning. Everybody’s thrilled to death we won one in the last inning,” Gremminger added.
It looked as if the Jayhawks (23-30 overall, 7-23 Big 12) wouldn’t need extra innings to complete a comeback from a 6-1 deficit and beat KSU (25-26, 10-17).
KU had runners on first and second with two out in the ninth when John Nelson hit a deep smash over the head of Wildcat center fielder Nick Sorensen.
Sorensen sprinted with his back to the infield, dove and made a basket catch reminiscent of Willie Mays’ over-the-shoulder catch at the Polo Grounds many moons ago.
The catch coming on Mays’ 70th birthday Sunday pushed the game into extra innings.
“That was a big-time catch,” KSU coach Mike Clark said. “It was better than Willie Mays. It was comparable to Jim Edmonds’ catch (over head when he was with Angels). It’s the same type of deal. He just sold himself out for the team.”
Added KU coach Bobby Randall, “Their center fielder made a tremendous catch. It’s as good a clutch catch as I’ve ever seen. Jason Appuhn made two of them too. He made two diving catches on the day.”
Center fielder Appuhn’s diving catch in the first inning saved two runs. His diving grab in the fourth saved a single run.
What’s more, he scored KU’s winning run in the 10th.
Appuhn singled off Kelvin Day to open the 10th and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Casey Spanish. Appuhn then took a major gamble with one out and stole third base on a 1-0 pitch to Klocksien.
“When I was on first, I noticed their pitcher was real slow to the plate,” Appuhn said. “Getting on second, I was waiting for the green light. I didn’t know if coach would give it to me. He did and I just took it.”
Shortly after, Appuhn scampered home on a wild pitch and just like that the Jayhawks had a one-run victory.
“It’s been a while since we had a one-run win. It feels good,” Appuhn said.
The Jayhawks, in fact, previously had just two one-run wins the entire season against Illinois-Chicago (3-2) and against Michigan (6-5).
Not many fans were around at the end of the game to see KU win its league finale.
A crowd of 550 arrived at the start, but scurried home after a downpour. In all, there were two rain delays combining for three hours in stoppages.
“That was a long day, wasn’t it?” Randall said with a smile. “They wrote that book or did that movie The Longest Day. This is what they wrote about.
“What a clutch home run by Jesse. And Jason Appuhn … what a day.”
“It’s our first come-from-behind victory; our first one-run victory. I’d like six more of those,” skipper Randall said. “We have scuffled all year to finish those games.
“I keep thinking we’re improving. We struck out four times today. That’s a pretty good deal. We kept battling, battling, battling to win that game. K-State played their hearts out. It was just a great college baseball game.”
The Jayhawks will next meet UT-Pan American in a doubleheader at noon Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark.
