The Jayhawks let up a dagger run in the bottom of the ninth inning that allowed the Texas Tech Red Raiders to steal a 10-9 victory Saturday afternoon on Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas.

With the game tied at nine and junior designated hitter Caden Ferraro on second base following a double, junior catcher Matt Quintanar singled to left field and was able to simultaneously bring in Ferraro for the game winning RBI single.

In each of the final three innings of the game, Kansas tied the game up in the top, but Texas Tech found a way to create a one run lead in the bottom, including the game-winning RBI single.

This was the Jayhawks fourth straight loss and it dropped their record to 10-8 on the season, as well as marked their second loss of conference play, both coming against the Red Raiders, which puts their Big 12 record at 0-2. 

Augusto Mungarrieta, Josh Dykhoff and Brady Ballinger all notched home runs for the Jayhawks, while on the other side, Quintanar, Ferraro and second baseman Tracer Lopez each hit one out of the park for the Red Raiders.

Dominic Voegele started at pitcher for Kansas and recorded just one strikeout while allowing seven runs and 10 hits, which ended in his 10.23 ERA rating before being pulled in the sixth inning. Texas Tech went through five pitchers and their starter for the game, Connor Mohan, also finished with one strikeout but gave up just three runs and six hits through his four innings.

After Jordan Bach and Ballinger both flew out to start the game, Mungarrieta hit his third pitch out of the park to put Kansas up early in the top of the first.

Centerfielder Kyeler Thompson was able to get in scoring position for the Red Raiders at the bottom of the first off of a single by left fielder Logan Hughes, but infielder Linkin Garcia grounded out and Kansas maintained their 1-0 lead for another inning and a half. 

In the bottom of the third inning, a Thompson walk and line drive to left from Lopez set up runners on first and second base, and third baseman Connor Shouse was able to bring Thompson in on another hit to left field. Hughes was then walked, which loaded the bases for Texas Tech, and Garcia followed that up with an RBI that brought Lopez in.

Ferraro ended the Texas Tech scoring run with a sacrifice fly out to left field that resulted in an RBI, bringing Shouse in to give Texas Tech a 3-1 lead through three innings.

Dykhoff cut into that lead in the fourth inning with a hit toward left-center field that just barely made it over the wall for his second home run of the year. 

After holding the Red Raiders scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, the Jayhawks went on the offensive when they were back up to bat. First, it was Ballinger who opened up the fifth with a solo home run that easily cleared the centerfield wall, resulting in the Red Raiders bringing in pitcher Heeryun Han. 

Han, however, had a rough outing in which he gave up three hits, walked two batters and gave up two runs, with Dykhoff bringing in both Tyson Owens and Cade Baldridge off an outfield error. He was replaced by Bryce Suiter before the inning was over as Kansas had taken a 5-3 lead.

Texas Tech responded in kind with a three-run inning of their own to regain a 6-5 lead thanks to a Ferraro RBI that brought in Garcia and a two-run homer from Quintanar, his first of the year.

The Jayhawks went 1-2-3 at bat to quickly end the top of the sixth, and Texas Tech extended their lead by one run in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Shouse RBI that brought in first baseman Robin Villeneuve.

With the Jayhawks facing a two-run deficit and just a few innings left to play, Dylan Schlotterback managed an RBI single and Bach recorded his first hit for an RBI double, which was due in large part to multiple outfield errors from the Red Raiders, and the game was once again tied.

Texas Tech quickly broke that tie 1/3 of the way through the bottom of the seventh when Ferraro sent the ball deep over the left field wall to put his team back in front 8-7, but pitcher Toby Scheidt came in to close the inning cleanly for Kansas.

Once again, Kansas tied things up at the top of the inning with Daniel Osoria taking a sacrifice ground out to bring in Tyson LeBlanc. Texas Tech yet again took a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth off of Lopez’s first home run of the season. In the top of the ninth inning, Kansas managed to tie things up once more at 9 when Ballinger hit a sacrifice fly ball into left field to bring Schlotterback in. 

The Jayhawks couldn’t hold out and force extra innings, however, and the Red Raiders managed the game winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to end the game.

The Jayhawks will look to avoid being swept as they will take on the Red Raiders on Sunday, March 15, for the final game of their series at 1 p.m. CT. The game will stream on ESPN+.