Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Baseball is headed to a Super Regional for the first time in school history after a 13-10 victory over Arkansas on Sunday evening in front of 4,007 fans at Hoglund Ballpark to win the first-ever Lawrence Regional.
Kansas (45-16) picked up its 45th win of the season to tie the 1993 school record for the most wins in a season. The regional win is only the second in school history, behind the 1993 regional victory which sent the Jayhawks to their lone College World Series appearance.
“What a night and what a regional,” head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “Can’t say enough about the three teams in this thing. How competitive those three programs are, how well-coached they are, how hard their players play and how talented this thing was from top to bottom. To come out of this thing on top is another mountain to climb. I could not be more proud of these guys and their teammates that are probably revving up the locker room right now with a disco ball and whatever else they’re doing. Unbelievable crowd, unbelievable atmosphere and just could not be more proud and couldn’t be more excited to keep playing baseball.”
Down 5-0 after three innings, the Jayhawks scored 11 unanswered runs. Overcoming the early five-run deficit for victory matched KU’s largest comeback win of the season. KU also came from five runs down to defeat St. Thomas on March 7 and Houston on March 20. The comeback also marked the 25th come-from-behind win of the season for KU.
Manning West pitched 3.0 innings in relief to grab the win, holding Arkansas to three hits and one run while allowing KU’s offense to get going.
Kansas scored six runs in the fourth inning, two in the fifth and three in the sixth to jump on top 11-5. Arkansas added five runs over the final four frames, but KU countered with two runs in the top of the eighth to keep the threat at a distance.
Riane Ritter and Boede Rahe closed out the game for Kansas, recording eight combined strikeouts over the final 3.2 innings. Rahe struck out four in the last two frames, including striking out the side in the ninth to close the door.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Arkansas (41-22) got out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a solo home run by Ryder Helfrick.
• The Razorbacks extended its lead with a pair of two-out hits to stretch the game to 4-0 after two innings.
• Arkansas added another run in the bottom of the third to take a 5-0 lead.
• Kansas answered and put up six runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead. Dariel Osoria started the run with a one-out solo homer, his ninth of the season. KU then got five consecutive hits with singles by Jordan Bach, Dylan Schlotterback, Brady Ballinger and Max Soliz Jr. and a three-run home run from Tyson LeBlanc.
• KU took advantage of walks and an Arkansas error to add two runs in the top of the fifth inning to take an 8-5 lead. Ballinger picked up his 45th RBI of the season to score Bach who had walked earlier in the frame.
• Kansas added three runs in the top of the sixth to take an 11-5 lead. LeBlanc opened the inning with a double to left center. Augusto Mungarrieta was then hit by a pitch and Josh Dykhoff blasted a three-run homer for his 16th home run of the season.
• Arkansas would not go away and plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Kansas lead to 11-7.
• After a scoreless seventh inning by both squads, Kansas added two insurance runs in the top of the eighth to take a 13-7 lead. Dykhoff and Osoria each singled in the frame for the Jayhawks.
• Arkansas matched KU’s two runs with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 13-9 in favor of the Jayhawks.
• Kansas closer Boede Rahe threw the final two innings with four strikeouts to close out the win.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Manning West (4-0)
Final line: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO
Loss: Cole Gibler (5-3)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
NOTABLES
• Kansas advanced to a Super Regional for the first time in school history.
• Kansas won its second regional in program history (1993) and the first ever Lawrence Regional.
• Sunday’s game was attended by 4,007 fans, which is the second-highest attendance at Hoglund Ballpark, trailing only the record of 4,042 fans from Saturday night’s game against Arkansas.
• Kansas is now 12-11 all-time in NCAA Regionals.
• Kansas picked up its 45th win and has tied the program record for most wins in a season (1993).
• Kansas extended the single-season school home run record to 110 homers this season.
• Kansas overcame a five-run deficit to win for the third time this season (March 20 vs. Houston & March 7 vs. St. Thomas).
• Kansas recorded its 25th comeback victory of the season.
• West allowed three hits and one run over a season-high 3.0 innings of work to improve to 4-0 on the year.
• Rahe tossed two innings in relief for the third straight day, striking out the side in the ninth inning and recording four strikeouts in total to close the game. Rahe has had at least three strikeouts in each of his last five appearances.
• LeBlanc finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, while also drawing two walks. Included in the hits was his 24th home run of the season, which extended his single-season program record. He has eight home runs in the last 11 games.
• Osoria was 4-for-5 with two doubles and his ninth home run of the season, which was also his second home run of the Lawrence Regional.
• Dykhoff had three hits and connected on his 16th homer of the year.
UP NEXT
Kansas moves on to play in Super Regionals next weekend against the winner of the Atlanta Regional in a three-game series for the right to play in the College World Series.
