The Kansas baseball team dropped a 5-3 decision to Western Carolina in the final game of the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field on Sunday.
Kansas (5-6) starter Eli Davis finished with a season-high eight strikeouts in a season-high seven innings pitched in his third start of the year. Western Carolina (7-4) jumped out early, scoring one run in the first before Kansas responded with a run of its own in the third.
The Catamounts recaptured the lead after scoring one run in the bottom of the third and extended its lead to four after plating three additional runs in the fourth. Kansas threatened late after Anthony Tulimero hit his first home run of the season in the seventh, scoring two runs and narrowing the WCU lead to two.
With two outs and two runners on, Benjamin Sems launched a ball that forced the WCU left fielder to run into the outfield wall, but he was still able to make the play to end the inning and KU’s scoring threat.
KU was unable to earn a runner in the ninth and finished the First Pitch Invitational 1-3.
Kansas hosts Creighton at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Hoglund Ballpark.
