LINCOLN, Neb. – Kansas baseball went on the road to No. 19 Nebraska and won 5-3 on Tuesday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The Jayhawks have now won seven consecutive games and are winners in 13 of their last 15 contests.
Tuesday’s victory was the 17th comeback victory for the Jayhawks. Kansas overcame 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to claim the win. Trailing 3-1 in the sixth inning, Kansas had back-to-back RBI doubles from Brady Ballinger and Augusto Mungarrieta to tie the game at 3-3. Mungarrieta came up clutch again in the seventh with a two-run single with the bases loaded.
Kansas used four pitchers in the game, including Kannon Carr, Riane Ritter, Manning West and Boede Rahe. West earned the win after a scoreless sixth inning and Rahe slammed the door with three scoreless innings to end the game. Rahe recorded four strikeouts and did not allow a baserunner.
Entering the game, Nebraska had won 21 of its last 22 games, including 10 straight, and the Cornhuskers had posted a 15-0 record at home this season. Kansas ended the Nebraska winning streak and the undefeated season at home for the Cornhuskers. KU improved to 23-10 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Nebraska (26-7) got on the scoreboard first in the second inning. With the bases loaded, Mac Moyer hit a two-out, two-run single to put the Cornhuskers ahead 2-0.
• Kansas (23-10) was able to push a run across in the fifth. Dykhoff led off the inning with a triple and Dylan Schlotterback brought him home on an RBI single. That cut the Nebraska lead to 2-1.
• The Cornhuskers did get that run back in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly to bring their lead back to two runs at 3-1.
• The Jayhawks were not deterred as they evened up the game in the top of the sixth. Tyson LeBlanc led off the inning by working an 11-pitch at-bat that ended in a walk. Ballinger and Mungarrieta followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to tie the game at 3-3.
• Nebraska loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but West escaped a bases loaded jam with an inning-ending strikeout looking.
• Kansas jumped on its own bases loaded opportunity in the top of the seventh. After intentionally walking Ballinger, Mungarrieta came up big with two outs as he delivered a two-run single to give Kansas a 5-3 advantage.
• Rahe and the Jayhawks did not allow the Cornhuskers to get a baserunner in the final three innings to close it out.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Manning West (3-0)
Final line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
Loss: Caleb Clark (1-2)
Final line: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Save: Boede Rahe (2)
Final line: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
QUOTABLES & NOTABLES
“I love how we competed. That’s an outstanding Nebraska team. We had a chance to get out of the second inning and misplayed the ball that led to two runs and our guys never flinched. We just kept taking quality at-bats. Their starter did a really nice job and once we got into the pen, our guys were able to push some runs across. Really, really proud of how our guys competed tonight.” – Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald
“We just trust. We have a lot of trust in each other. If somebody miss, we know that the next guy is going to get us. We have a lot of trust in in every single player that we have. You got trust in your teammates because that’s all you got.” – Augusto Mungarrieta
“I’m happy to do whatever role that they have for me. I just like to be out on that field whenever I can. I love to throw. The dugout motivates you out there. It gives you a little adrenaline. I like to feed off the adrenaline in our dugout, so whenever I go out there they like to bring it up for me and I can’t ask for a better dugout.” – Boede Rahe
• Kansas improved to 23-10 overall this season and 12 of the wins have come on the road.
• Kansas is riding a seven-game winning streak.
• Kansas has won 13 of its last 15 games.
• Kansas now has 17 comeback victories this season.
• Kansas is 3-2 against ranked opponent wins this season.
• Mungarrieta matched his career high with three RBIs.
• Schlotterback has driven in at least one RBI five of the last six games.
• West earned his third win of the season.
• Rahe received his second save of the season.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts No. 12 UCF for a weekend series at Hoglund Ballpark that begins on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. UCF is in first place in the Big 12 standings, while Kansas is right behind in second place. Fans can purchase tickets to the games this weekend by clicking here.
Courtesy of KU Athletics