CHARLESTON, SC – A late inning in both games at The Citadel helped the Bulldogs beat Kansas in a doubleheader Friday at the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. Due to the forecasted inclement weather on Saturday, the schedule has been adjusted to two games on Friday.
GAME ONE (The Citadel 4, Kansas 3)
Colin Baumgartner threw a career-high 7.1 innings, but The Citadel’s Matthew Lively hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win. Baumgartner allowed two runs on eight hits while walking none and striking out three.
The two teams held each other scoreless through the first four innings. In the fifth, Kansas scored for the first time in the game. Sophomore and LSU transfer Luke Leto led off the inning with a double, followed by Jake English’s groundout to advance Leto to third. An RBI home run by redshirt sophomore and UCF transfer Michael Brooks gave KU a 1-0 lead.
Kansas extended its lead to 3-0 in the sixth inning. The Jayhawks loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the inning. Freshman Kodey Shojinaga then singled to right field to bring in one run. Redshirt junior Collier Cranford then hit an RBI grounder to score the second run and take a 3-0 lead.
The Citadel kept the game within reach and began to chip away in the seventh. The Bulldogs scored one run in the inning on an RBI single. The run was Baumgartner’s first of the day and made it 3-1.
The Bulldogs started the eighth inning with a leadoff double. Baumgartner retired the next batter on a line drive to right field that advanced the runner to third. That was the end of the day for Baumgartner as junior Stone Hewlett came on in relief. The Citadel scored the runner from third on a sacrifice bunt to cut Kansas’ lead to 3-2.
Then, in the ninth after a leadoff and a strikeout, Lively came out and sent a 3-2 home run over the fence in left field for the win.
Kansas had 12 hits on offense but left nine runners on base. Senior Cole Elvis had three hits, including a double, while Shojinaga finished 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
GAME TWO (The Citadel 3, Kansas 2)
The second game was another low-scoring affair as The Citadel had a go-ahead, 2-run single in the seventh inning. Kansas starter Sam Ireland threw 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs on nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Again, the teams were scoreless for the first four innings of the contest. The Citadel had an opportunity in the first inning on a single to right field, but Leto threw out the runner trying to score to end the frame.
Kansas got on the board first for the second straight game with Leto’s solo home run to right field. The homer gave Kansas a 1-0 lead.
The Citadel (12-6) had a pair of doubles in the bottom of the fifth that tied the score at 1-1.
Ireland was pulled in the seventh inning with the score tied 1-1 and going on second and one out. Junior Taniel Trumper came in and allowed a walk and a single before striking out the last batter he faced. Junior Colby Duggan then singled with the bases loaded and two outs, and The Citadel’s Noah Mitchell singled to right to score two runs and give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.
The top of the eighth began with back-to-back walks against redshirt sophomore and Texas Tech transfer Sam Hunt and Brooks. A sacrifice bunt by redshirt sophomore Mike Koszewski advanced them to second and third. An RBI groundout by sophomore Chase Yance cut the deficit to 3-2 and Brooks went to third.
In the ninth, Kansas got a 1-out triple by English. However, he was stranded at third on a strikeout and groundout to end the game.
NOTES
• Starting pitchers Colin Baumgartner and Sam Ireland did not issue a single walk over 13.2 combined innings while striking out five.
• Baumgartner threw a career-high 7.1 innings.
• Yance extended his hitting streak to 13 consecutive games, the longest of the sophomore’s career.
• Koshevski extended his on-base streak to 15 games.
NEXT
Kansas (7-10) wraps up its series with the Citadel on Sunday. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. CT.