“Once we pushed the game back to 1, I thought we had no chance (of playing),” KU right fielder Ryne Price said. “I thought, ‘If we don’t play right now, it’s not going to happen.'”

But Mother Nature finally relented. Fortunately for the Jayhawks, starting pitcher Andres Esquibel did not.

Esquibel tossed eight innings of one-hit ball before Hiarali Garcia threw a scoreless ninth, and KU defeated Texas Tech, 9-1, for the Jayhawks’ second straight Big 12 victory. In the process, KU even made a bit of history.

It was the first time Kansas one-hit a conference opponent in 20 years. It also marked the Jayhawks’ first combined one-hitter in conference play.

“Obviously, it’s a huge day for us today,” KU coach Ritch Price said.

Kansas improved to 21-16 overall and 3-8 in the Big 12. Texas Tech fell to 17-18 and 4-10.

KU scored early against Red Raiders starter AJ Ramos, who was ineffective all afternoon. Ramos walked three batters in the first inning alone, including a bases-loaded free pass to catcher Buck Afenir that plated leadoff man Casey Larson. Ryne Price’s double-play groundout scored one more in the inning to put KU ahead, 2-0.

The Jayhawks tallied three runs in the third and four more in the fourth.

Esquibel took care of the rest.

The 6-foot-2 senior mixed fastballs early in the count with changeups and sliders to keep the Raiders off balance, taking a no-hitter and a 9-0 lead into the fifth inning. In that inning, Tech’s Joey Kenworthy lined a run-scoring single up the middle with two outs that gave the Raiders their only run and hit of the game. But Esquibel struck out Doug Thennis swinging to end the inning and cruised from there. Despite peppering the lineup with seven walks, Esquibel also struck out seven and improved to 3-2 this season.

Esquibel said the toughest part of the afternoon wasn’t waiting out the weather delay. Instead, it was the kind of problem all pitchers love to have – watching his team’s offense for extended periods of time. While the Jayhawks managed only six hits, their plate discipline resulted in eight walks and two hit batsmen, with five coming around to score.

“Kind of in the middle of the game is when it affected me,” Esquibel said of sitting in the dugout. “I got cold, and my legs froze up a little bit. I just tried to keep them warm, and that was about it.”

After three tough Big 12 series against nationally ranked Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor, Price said his team seemed to be putting things together against the last remaining conference foe from the Lone Star State.

“Hey, I’ve been tough on them,” Price said. “I was tough on them at Baylor, I was tough on them this week, and there was no way I was going to let us back down and quit playing. We have too good of a team to shut it down this early in the season.”

KU will look to extend its winning streak with a sweep in the final game of the series at 1 p.m. today.