Kansas baseball scratched out a pair of runs and got eight innings of shutout pitching to defeat Missouri State Wednesday evening at Hoglund Ballpark.
Devin Foyle opened the bottom of the fourth inning with a double, KU’s only extra-base hit for the game. Foyle moved to third on Matt McLaughlin’s groundout and scored on Michael Tinsley’s sacrifice fly.
The Jayhawks manufactured a second run in the sixth as Joe Maroney was hit by a pitch, sacrificed to second, stole third and scored on Foyle’s sacrifice fly.
That was all the runs the Kansas pitching staff would need as Blake Weiman, Jackson Goddard and Sam Gilbert combined to shut out the Bears for seven innings. Goddard earned his second win on the season.
Closer Stephen Villines stretched the shutout to eight innings before giving up a single run in the top of the ninth.
Villines pitched around all kinds of trouble to hold the lead. Missouri State’s Blake Graham opened the inning with a walk before Villines struck out Jordan Hovey. Justin Paulsen followed Hovey with a double but Graham could only advace to third. After Landan Ruff came in to run for Paulsen, Hunter Steinmetz drove in Graham with a single but Villanes got designated hitter Alex Jefferson to hit it sharply right back at him. Villines used a quick glove and immediately rifled the ball to second base where sophomore shortstop McLaughlin made a nice assist to turn the double play and end the game.
The Jayhawks’ (8-13, 0-2 Big 12) win snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Bears (19-5, 0-0 MVC) that dated back to their April 13, 2010.
“They were tired of it,” head coach Ritch Price said. “You get tired of losing to somebody. When I first got here, we won every game (against Missouri State) for about four-straight years and then they have beaten us the last five years in a row (did not play in 2013). It was a big win for us.”
Missouri State 000 000 001 — 1 8 1
Kansas 000 101 000 — 2 4 1
W — Jackson Goddard, 2-1. L — Ryan Dunne, 0-1. SV — Stephen Villines, 4.
2B — Hunter Steinmetz, Missoui State; Devin Foyle, Kansas. 3B — Jeremy Eierman, Missouri State.
KU Highlights — Devin Foyle, 1-for-2, run, RBI; Colby Wright, 1-for-3; Michael Tinsley, RBI; Joe Maroney, run; Blake Weiman, 3 shutout innings; Jackson Goddard, 2 shutout innings; Sam Gilbert, 2 shutout innings.
