Despite a bold, four-run last stand in the ninth, the Kansas baseball team couldn’t claw its way out of the hole against its border rival Mizzou in a 9-7 loss in Columbia, Missouri, on Tuesday.
Kansas started the action off with a dynamic first inning, scoring runs on three back-to-back at-bats.
First, junior outfielder Janson Reeder smacked a double into right field, bringing freshman Jackson Kline across home plate. Then, freshman infielder Kodey Shojinaga scored after a wild pitch from Mizzou left-hander Nic Smith. Finally, senior catcher Cole Elvis singled to left field and allowed the Jayhawks to push their lead to 3-0.
But in the bottom of the first, Missouri quickly responded. The Tigers got their first two batters on base after KU sophomore right-hander Steven Andrews walked one and hit the second with a pitch. Mizzou’s Luke Mann then hit a long ball to right field, allowing the Tigers to even the score at 3-3.
Andrews was pulled after Mizzou scored. He ended his night with no outs recorded, two walks and three earned runs.
After a walk and a single, the Tigers again had two baserunners with no outs. Sixth-year infielder Hank Zeisler then tried to steal third base, and the throw to third was offline, bringing Zeisler home to score and giving Missouri a 4-3 lead.
The second and third innings were scoreless for both sides, but the Tigers would go on to score in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Mann got his fourth RBI of the night with a double to left-center field, pushing the score to 5-3. And in the fifth, Missouri put two men on with no outs, and senior infielder Matt Garcia lined a single into right field to put another run on the board. Junior catcher Dylan Leach scored again for Mizzou on the next at-bat after a wild pitch from KU sophomore right-hander Stone Evers.
Heading into the sixth, Mizzou led 7-3, and the offense didn’t stop there. The Tigers got runs from Zeisler and sophomore infielder Cam Careswell over the next two innings before KU made its comeback bid in the ninth.
The Jayhawks’ flurry of scoring started with redshirt sophomore infielder Michael Brooks, who hit a solo home run to left-center field. After Shojinaga reached on a fielding error, sophomore infielder Luke Leto then sent a ball over the wall in right field for a two-run shot.
The Jayhawks got three men in a row on base with only one out, and it looked like there was a chance to take the lead. Sophomore outfielder Chase Jans brought home another run with a sac fly, cutting the deficit to just two runs. Kline was then hit by a pitch, reloading the bases with two outs, but Brooks ended the inning with a popup to the infield, giving the Tigers the victory.
The Jayhawks have now lost three straight games and sit at 21-24 (6-12 Big 12 Conference). Missouri moved to 25-19 (5-16 SEC). Up next, Kansas will host a three-game series against the Texas Longhorns, starting at 6 p.m. May 5.
