WICHITA, Kan. – On a wet night at Eck Stadium, the Kansas Jayhawks knocked off the 25th-ranked Wichita State Shockers 7-5 in 10 innings. Redshirt sophomore Michael Brooks delivered a 2-run single on a full count with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th to break a 5-5 tie. Right-hander Kolby Dougan then came on and struck out three in a scoreless bottom half to close out the win.
The extra innings victory helped Kansas sweep the season series against the Shockers for the first time since 2015 and improve to 20-21 on the season..
After Wichita State scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, the Jayhawks wasted no time answering right back. Jake English opened the inning with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Tyler Gerety. After a Mike Koszewski walk, Chase Jans singled to load the bases for Brooks. The third baseman, who is now 17 for his last 27, came through with a line drive hit to plate pinch-runner Sam Hunt and Koszewski. Dougan then came on and struck out the first two batters he saw. Following a walk, he picked up another strikeout to secure the season sweep of the Shockers, who swept No. 7 East Carolina last weekend.
“A ton of guys contributed tonight,” Coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “It was just good, team baseball tonight. I thought our focus and preparation was fantastic. We talked a ton before the game about what team looks like and our continued quest to be a really complete unit, so I’m proud of the guys; they really got after it.”
The Shockers (24-16, 8-4 American) scored first on Wednesday night to take an early lead. A one-out triple in the second inning followed by an RBI groundout gave Wichita State a 1-0 advantage.
Kansas had an answer for the Shockers with two runs of its own in the top of the third inning. After a single by Cooper Kelly and Koszewski reaching base on a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt, Jans came up clutch like he has all season with an RBI double to left field. The run-scoring hit tied the game at 1-1, but the Jayhawks were not done in the second. With Koszewski at third base, a wild pitch that got away from the catcher allowed him to score and give KU a 2-1 lead.
The Shockers had a response right away in the bottom of the third. With two-on and two-out, Mauricio Millan hit a 2-run single to put Wichita State back ahead 3-2.
Neither team was able to score in the fourth or fifth innings, which kept the score at 3-2 in favor of Wichita State. Kansas found its way back in the run column in the sixth inning.
After having the first two batters of the inning retired, the next three batters reached base via a single and back-to-back walks. That left the bases loaded and two outs for Kelly at the plate. Kelly took the first pitch he saw down the left field line for a 2-run double. The two runs put Kansas back ahead by a score of 4-3.
In the seventh inning, the Jayhawks added another two-out run. With Brooks on second base after hitting a double, Kodey Shojinaga brought home Brooks on an RBI single to center field. The run-scoring hit gave Kansas a 5-3 lead.
The Shockers got the run back in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly. That made the score 5-4 after seven innings.
The Jayhawks edge held until the bottom of the ninth, when the Shockers tied it up, setting up the dramatic extra-inning win for Kansas.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Thaniel Trumper (3-3)
Final line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 SO
Save: Kolby Dougan (1)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
Loss: Matt Wilkinson (1-1)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 SO
NOTES
• Kansas earned its third win of the season against a ranked opponent.
• Kansas has won seven straight midweek games.
• Kansas improved to 2-0 in extra innings this season.
• Brooks extended his on-base streak to 11 games and his hitting streak to seven games.
• Shojinaga pushed his hitting streak to seven games.
• Cole Elvis had his 17-game hitting streak snapped.
UP NEXT
Kansas (20-21, 5-10 Big 12) continues its road trip with three games in Norman at Oklahoma. The Jayhawks and Sooners series is set to begin on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
