JACKS DROP 10-7 DECISION AT NO. 23 KANSAS

Wednesday, April 2

Lawrence, Kan.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Kansas

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann

4/2/2025 10:34:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The powerful lineup of Kansas tallied six extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs, as the 23^rd-ranked Jayhawks built a big early lead before holding off South Dakota State, 10-7, in nonconference baseball action Tuesday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

KU, which entered the game ranked fifth among NCAA Division I teams with 61 home runs, improved to 24-6 overall and completed a perfect homestand with a 6-0 record. The Jackrabbits dropped to 4-19 on the season.

The Jayhawks gained the lead two batters into the game with a pair of extra-base hits. Derek Cerda opened the game with a triple to straight-away center field and Brady Ballinger followed with a double to center off SDSU starter Drew McDowell.

Two innings later, KU upped its lead to 5-0 on a three-run home run by Jackson Hauge and a run-scoring single by Tommy Barth. Hauge's home run was his 13^th round-tripper of the season.

SDSU's biggest power threat, Luke Luskey, put the Jackrabbits on the board with a solo home run to lead off the top of the fourth.

However, Kansas answered with two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to increase its advantage to 9-1. Brady Counsell accounted for the fifth-inning runs with his seventh homer of the season and Dariel Osoria delivered a two-run double in the sixth.

The Jackrabbits wouldn't go down without a fight as they sent 12 men to the plate in a six-run top of the seventh. Freshman Nicholas Werk started the rally with the first of three infield singles in the frame. Carter Sintek drove in Werk with the first run on a bloop single and Owen Siegert followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly that brought home Nolan Grawe.

Dayton Franke's RBI infield single drove in the third run of the inning, while backup catcher Mason Lang followed with a two-run single that scored both Luskey and Jess Bellows. A bases-loaded walk to Bryce Ronken forced in the final run of the inning.

Kansas stemmed the tide with a run in the bottom of the seventh, then received two shutout innings from Alex Breckheimer to close out the game. Breckheimer, who was the last of nine Jayhawk pitchers to see mound duty in the game, struck out the side in the top of the ninth to secure his first save of the season.

Eight different hurlers headed to the mound for the Jackrabbits. McDowell took the loss in his first collegiate start while Keagen Jirschele posted 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and Brady Hawkins added 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Sintek was 3-for-4 to pace the Jackrabbits' 11-hit effort, followed by a 2-for-2 performance at the plate by Lang. Hauge and Osoria each collected two of Kansas' 10 hits.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits move on to open a three-game Summit League series Friday at Oral Roberts. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Chapman Park on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

NOTES

Kansas leads the all-time series, 9-2
The two squads played for the first time since 2021
Grawe extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a single in the first inning, matching Tyson Fisher (2006) and Matt Johnson (2016) for the longest single-season hitting streak in the Jackrabbits' Division I history (since 2005)
Sintek posted his fifth consecutive multi-hit game and is batting .545 (12-for-22) over that span
Sintek has hit safely in his last seven games and 20 of the 22 games he has played this season
Siegert had his eight-game hitting streak end with an 0-for-2 night
Bellows recorded his 150^th career hit with an infield single in the top of the seventh inning
SDSU pitchers combined to issue 11 walks and struck out only two batters in the game
The Jackrabbits turned two double plays for the fourth time, matching a season high