After allowing three runs to one-win Milwaukee in the first inning, the Kansas baseball team bounced back quickly on Friday afternoon, tying the game in the fourth before exploding for eight runs on nine hits in the bottom of the fifth to storm out to an 11-3 lead.
The Jayhawks sealed the deal with 10 additional runs down the stretch and took down the Panthers 21-3 at Hoglund Ballpark, taking a 2-0 advantage in the series and improving to 12-1 on the season.
Starting pitcher Dominic Voegele settled down after a three-run, 39-pitch first, retiring eight straight batters and allowing only one hit over the final 15 batters that he faced. His control faltered a bit, but he was able to hit his spots with his breaking ball to finish a five-inning outing, allowing four hits and three runs while walking four men and striking out six.
“The top of their order is really good… and obviously the wind’s howling out, and he just didn’t locate a bunch of pitches that coach (Brandon) Scott had called,” head coach Dan Fitzgerald said of Voegele’s early command issues. “They were not throwing the right spot, but like Dom’s done 100 times, he can adjust in-game as good as any pitcher I’ve ever had. So he made the adjustment.”
Derek Cerda propelled the Jayhawks from the leadoff spot with three hits, including a two-run home run, and five RBIs, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. Brady Ballinger and Jackson Hauge backed him up well in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots, combining for seven hits and seven RBIs with a home run each. Hauge hit his conference-leading sixth homer of the season as Brady Counsell recorded his second long ball this year.
“There was a significant amount to like from yesterday too,” Fitzgerald said of Kansas’ walkoff 4-3 win on Thursday. “We just didn’t have the breakthrough hit that really put it out of reach, and today we did.”
Voegele took time to settle in in his second start at home, giving up a loud home run to the first batter of the game before giving up a single two pitches later, which led to a two-run home run by Milwaukee second baseman Tyler Bickers.
While Voegele didn’t give up any more runs, he had trouble locating pitches after leaving a slider up in the zone. But he got out of the inning after two walks followed by two strikeouts.
Kansas loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but third baseman Michael Brooks, who has struggled to start the year, struck out to end the inning and leave three men on base.
Voegele found his groove in the second, striking out two to reach four strikeouts in a row before Ballinger’s second hit of the game drove in Kansas’ first run to make it 3-1.
Both teams had a clean third inning with a strikeout apiece to keep Milwaukee’s two-run lead intact. Voegele continued to impress in the fourth, having figured out what was working in his arsenal. He did give up his first hit since the first inning as Sawyer Smith and Ballinger collided in shallow left field ranging after a fly ball that fell in for a double, but kept the runner from scoring.
Chase Diggins snuck a ball through the middle of the infield for his first hit of the game before back-to-back strikeouts threatened to strand Kansas’ leadoff single. But Cerda took matters into his own hands as the lineup flipped over, hitting a two-run home run to left-center to tie the game at 3 at the end of four innings.
“I think at that point we needed someone to just break it in,” Fitzgerald said. “And Derek, you could just tell with his timing as he’s on deck. I thought, ‘Man, if they miss up here, he’s going to get it.'”
A quick second and third allowed Voegele to extend his work through the fifth inning, as he walked two more batters but didn’t give up any runs to keep it a tied ball game.
“When you have four pitches, it’s not always realistic to think you’re going to have all four going (on one day),” Fitzgerald said. “So I think it took him a minute to figure out what he had today and then, obviously, he settled in.”
Hauge wasn’t satisfied with the tie, and he attacked Milwaukee’s first reliever of the day on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. He hit a home run far over the left field wall to give Kansas its first lead of the game at 4-3.
With a loud start, the Jayhawks were on a roll, as Counsell homered two batters later with one out to start a streak of eight-straight hits. A triple by Brooks was enough for the Panthers to turn to their bullpen again, but Tyler Deleskiewicz didn’t have any better luck, as three straight singles by the bottom third of the lineup drove in two more runs. Flipping back to the top, Cerda recorded his third RBI of the day with a double down the left-field line before Ballinger put the cherry on top of an eight-run inning with a three-run bomb to left-center field to give Kansas an 11-3 lead.
“It’s huge. You know, there’s not one way we can start an offense,” Ballinger said postgame. “We can hit a long ball, we can get a few hits together. We’re a pretty dynamic offense, and it’s awesome to be a part of.”
Kannon Carr took over duties on the mound for Voegele after five quality innings, allowing one hit but striking out three batters with his nasty curveball to strand a runner in scoring position. The Jayhawks weren’t content with an eight-run lead, and saw their first three batters reach base in the sixth en-route to plating five more runs as Kansas batted around for the second inning in a row, taking a 16-3 lead after all was said and done.
Gavin Brasosky took over for Carr on the mound after one inning of work as Fitzgerald reached for a ground-ball-inducing pitcher to battle the strong wind at Hoglund Ballpark that caused issues for both teams. Brasosky walked the bases loaded, but got out unscathed.
Two early outs started what appeared to be a slow seventh for the Jayhawks, but three straight singles loaded the bases before Counsell drew a four-pitch walk to bring in another lead and extend the lead to 17-3.
Naun Haro and Kasey Crawford combined for two shutout innings to close the game for Kansas as the Jayhawks added on four runs with another Cerda double and a two-run shot by Ty Wisdom off the bench for his first home run of the season. With one last multi-run inning, Kansas closed out its 21-3 win.
KU looks to extend its four-game win streak as the Jayhawks face off for their third game against the Panthers on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Equity Bank Park in Wichita.
Kansas junior Derek Cerda slides during the game against Milwaukee on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas senior Ian Francis celebrates during the game against Milwaukee on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas senior Brady Counsell shakes hands with assistant coach Tyler Hancock during the game against Milwaukee on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas senior Ian Francis points during the game against Milwaukee on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas’ Brady Counsell celebrates with teammates in the dugout during the game against Milwaukee on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Kansas baseball team high-fives at the game against Milwaukee on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark.
Kansas Athletics
Kansas Athletics
Kansas Athletics
Kansas Athletics
Kansas Athletics
Anaya Boseman/Kansas Athletics