After a slow start, the Kansas Jayhawks scored eight runs across the fourth and fifth innings on the way to a run-rule an 11-1 victory against the Sacramento State Hornets in seven innings on Tuesday night at Hoglund Ballpark.
Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Jayhawks were down 1-0 and had yet to record a hit in the game. Josh Dykhoff got things started with a three-run home run. In the fifth inning, Tyson LeBlanc score a solo home run, followed by Dariel Osoria’s RBI driving Cade Baldridge home, Tyson Owens scored on a run and Jordan Bach brought in Dykhoff and Dylan Schlotterback with a two-run double.
After those two innings, the Jayhawks led an 8-1 advantage and cruised to the end of the game with the final score coming once again from a LeBlanc home run in the bottom of the seventh.
“I was seeing the ball really well today,” LeBlanc said. “My first at-bat I got beat, so I told myself to be on time for the heaters, and that’s what I did my next at bat when I hit the first home run.”
The home crowd grew louder as the Jayhawks began to take control of the game, especially the students, as they set a home student attendance record with 1,019 showing up to support the team.
“They’re incredible,” head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “I’ve said it 1,000 times. They’re the greatest student section in college baseball.”
The victory marked the Jayhawks sixth straight win of the season and brought their overall record to 16-8 overall and 7-1 at home games.
“We’re playing clean baseball right now,” LeBlanc said. “Pitchers are throwing strikes. Hitters are getting in a groove. We just have to keep it up and see how long we can keep winning.”
The Hornets kicked things off early as junior third baseman Jakob Poturnak hit an RBI double after Leblanc made an error on his throw to first base that allowed freshman centerfielder Sam Harry to cross home plate and notch the opening score in the top of the first inning.
Sac State managed to get in scoring position again in the top of both the second and fourth innings but couldn’t manage to finish the job either time. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, failed to get a hit through the first three innings.
“The starting pitcher, sophomore Chase Sorlie, was hitting his spots,” LeBlanc said. “We put a few barrels on the ball to start the game and had nothing to show for it.”
Kansas managed to finally find some life after a Sacramento State pitcher change, which substituted Sorlie, who had yet to allow a hit, for sophomore Jackson Halverson who immediately hit Osoria with a pitch that set up runners on second and third base.
On the ensuing at-bat, Dykhoff hit a pitch right down the middle and over the wall for a three-run home run, his fifth time clearing the wall this season. The deep shot was also the Jayhawks first hit of the day and put them ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
After nearly allowing another home run to Max Soliz Jr. and walking Schlotterback, Halverson was replaced by junior Bryce Stockton, and the Hornets escaped the inning without further damage.
After a quick two strikeouts from Riane Ritter, who took over in the fourth inning, and a fly out to center field, the Jayhawks returned to the plate and wasted no time widening the gap.
LeBlanc was first up to bat and he sent the pitch clean over the left wall for a solo home run that was his sixth of the season. Baldridge and Owens then reached third and second base respectively, and Osoria hit a sacrifice fly ball into right field that sent Owens to third base and brought Baldrige in for the Jayhawks fifth run of the day.
Owens then managed to steal home following a wild pitch that reset the bases, and for the final runs of the inning Bach hit an RBI double along the right foul line to bring Dykhoff and Schlotterback in for the score. Brady Ballinger grounded out on the next at-bat, and Kansas finished the fifth inning with an 8-1 lead.
Both teams got into scoring position in the sixth, with the Hornets even loading the bases at one point, but neither team was able to turn their opportunities into scores.
After another quick three outs for CSUS, KU clinched a run-rule victory after LeBlanc hit the ball out of the park for three runs to end the game.
“They’re throwing their number one tomorrow,” coach Fitzgerald said. “He’s a good pitcher, and we’ll need to be ready to compete.”
Kansas will play its second and final game of the series vs. Sacramento State tomorrow in Hoglund Ballpark at 3:00 p.m CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.