Kansas knocks off Arkansas in baseball, headed to regional final
Kansas battled back after trailing Arkansas in the fifth inning to tie the game. They took the lead for good in the seventh beating the Razorbacks 5-3 and advancing to the regional final on Sunday.
The Jayhawks were facing one of the toughest pitchers they have seen all season in Hunter Dietz. He is expected to be one of the top left-handed pitchers taken in the MLB draft. Dietz was in control until Tyson LeBlanc hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning tying the score, 3-3.
[KU wins opening round game against Northeastern]
Dietz lasted another 1 1/3 innings before being pulled after 116 pitches and striking out 14 Jayhawks. In the seventh Kansas took the lead when Tyson Owens walked with the bases loaded forcing in Dariel Osoria.
KU added an insurance run in the eight on a solo blast by Augusta Mungarrieta to left center field. Boede Rahe came on for his second save in two days closing out Arkansas in the eighth and ninth. The bullpen was strong between Riane Ritter and Rahe. They combined for 4 1/3 innings striking out seven and not giving up a hit.
Kansas set a new attendance record with 4,042 fans at Hoglund. The Jayhawks will play the winner of Arkansas-Northeastern on Sunday.
Quotes: what they said after the win over Arkansas
Opening comment from Dan Fitzgerald:
Another awesome game. Awesome college baseball game against a great Arkansas team and, you know, unbelievable environment. It’s such an incredible experience to look at it in the micro level, but then also think about it from 30,000 feet of where we’ve come in four years. And the crowd today, I mean, our crowd was absolutely incredible.
Super proud of these guys. I thought they competed at a super high level and they were poised and they were prepared. And yeah, they loved the moment. It was really fun. Proud of these guys.
Boede Rahe on throwing back to back games:
I think just with it being postseason baseball, I should want to pitch in every single game that comes about. So getting that mindset every single day and getting my arm right for whatever they have in store for me is my mindset going into every game.
Starting pitcher Mason Cook on facing Hunter Dietz from Arkansas:
It was awesome. I mean, just knowing he’s a sophomore too, it was just like, everybody in that game pretty much was a sophomore except for Bodie and maybe one other pitcher for the Razorbacks. It was just unreal. Knowing that challenge, it just kind of makes you want it more. You just want to beat that guy. He pitched great. He did awesome today.
Fitzgerald on the attendance record and environment:
I felt it coming into the ballpark. I went on a walk this morning and walked past a hundred students in line. I don’t know what time it was. Then you hear of the line growing and you hear people coming into the ballpark.
There’s a very distinct sound that you hear in the dugout as the crowd starts to build. And the optics of it, to look out in the backyard and see it filling up. The students were, it’s hard to describe how amazing they are.
There were multiple times in the dugout where my emotions were frayed. After 25 years of doing this, I don’t feel a whole lot, and I felt a lot tonight. Hair was standing up on my arms for a good chunk of that. It was electric.
Arkansas post-game press conference
Final Box Score: Kansas 5- Arkansas 3
