The Bears allowed the Jayhawks to give Marks some run support finally. Kansas won, 8-5, on Wednesday at Hoglund Ballpark against a Bears team that had lost 14 straight before beating Evansville on Sunday.

“It was really nice,” Marks said. “They finally picked me up because I obviously didn’t have very good stuff tonight, but when you put up eight runs, you’ll win a lot of ball games.”

Marks without “very good stuff” went 52â3 innings, allowing only two runs and three hits. Adres Esquibel came on in relief of Marks in the fifth inning with a runner on, and Kyle Paul hit a home run on Esquibel’s first pitch.

Kansas had scored only three runs in Marks’ last four starts, and Marks was 0-3 in those starts. Friday he allowed zero runs and only one hit in seven innings against K-State and came away with a no-decision as the Jayhawks went on to lose, 2-1, Marks’ ninth straight start without a victory. Marks (4-6) had not won a game since March 7 against Baker.

But the Jayhawks gave Marks and the KU pitchers plenty of early run support with two runs in the first inning and six in the fourth against the Bears.

“It was great to put up some runs for him,” center fielder Kyle Murphy said. “We’ve probably put up six runs over his last six starts. It was great to get some runs for that guy.”

Murphy, the team’s leadoff hitter, started things off with a single, then first baseman John Allman drove Murphy in with a home run.

The Jayhawks knocked MSU’s starter Sean Toler out in the third inning after a two-run homer by Ryne Price, a standup triple by Preston Land and then an RBI double from Murphy, who went 4-for-5. After Robby Price drew a walk, the Bears pulled Toler. Erik Morrison finished the six-run fourth inning with a two-run single.

Kansas is in the middle of a five-game break from Big 12 action, with Chicago State coming to town this weekend for a four-game series.

“The pressure of playing the Big 12 series week in and week out really wears on you, and it’s quite a ride,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “When you can get a big lead like that, everybody can just relax and have fun, because you don’t have a lot of fun playing in the Big 12 sometimes.”