Kansas drops regional opener to Creighton after allowing 7-run inning

Fayetteville, Ark. – Kansas went back-and-forth with Creighton for five innings, but the Bluejays exploded for a seven-run sixth inning to take the opening game of the Fayetteville Regional 11-4. The Jayhawks will play an elimination game tomorrow at 2 p.m. against North Dakota State in an attempt to keep their season alive.

“With the loss, you mourn it for five minutes,” Dan Fitzgerald said postgame. “This game does not wait. We’ve got a really good North Dakota State team we gotta play tomorrow.”

Dominic Voegele battled throughout this start, but looked like he was finding his stride after getting out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings. However, the Bluejays notched three straight hits to chase him from the game with Creighton leading 5-3. Things got worse exponentially from there, with the Bluejays sending 12 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs against three different pitchers.

“They did a really nice job of moving the ball,” Fitzgerald said. “Obviously hindsight’s 20-20, and would have liked to have done some things differently in the sixth inning.”

Dominic Cancellieri quickly got the Jayhawks off-balanced with a rapid tempo on the mound while pumping strikes in the first inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced and got through the top of the Kansas lineup on just 11 pitches.

Creighton got on the scoreboard first, with Will MacLean smashing a 109-mph, 455-foot bomb to open the scoring at 1-0.

The Jayhawks responded as they have been doing all season. Cancellieri quickly got the first two outs, but then Michael Brooks worked a walk to extend the inning. Tommy Barth followed with a two-run homer, his first since March 23rd, to give Kansas a 2-1 lead.

“He got a great swing off to put us up two to one,” Fitzgerald said. “And then, you know, lost the ball in the sun in the first and then robbed a home run. But yeah, a great player, a great teammate.”

The back-and-forth swings ensued in the top of the third as the Bluejays went to work against Voegele. Three straight baserunners loaded the bases before Voegele walked Nolan Sailors on four pitches to tie the game. Creighton took a 3-2 lead following a hard-hit fielder’s choice to third base, where Brady Counsell’s only play was to step on the bag.

Kansas got momentum back on its side after Voegele got out of a major jam in the fourth. He walked Tate Gillen to load the bases with two outs, but then caught Matt Scherrman looking on a three-pitch strikeout to give the Jayhawks some life.

Derek Cerda followed with a home run on the first pitch he saw in the bottom frame to tie the game at 3-3. The Jayhawks managed some solid contact against Cancellieri and forced him out of the game after four innings.

Voegele pitched his best inning of the game in the fifth after allowing a leadoff triple. He then struck out back-to-back batters and induced a weak pop-up to strand the runner and keep the game tied.

“It was frustrating because Dom’s best stuff was in the fifth,” Fitzgerald said postgame. “They hit a leadoff triple and then, I thought his stuff was electric.”

However, Creighton rebounded to take the lead in the sixth. Gillen remained a thorn in Voegele’s side, picking up his third hit of the day on a two-run single to give the Bluejays a 5-3 lead. Voegele was pulled after Scherrman singled, and Sailors doubled home two off Manning West to provide Creighton with a four-run lead. The Bluejays wouldn’t stop scoring, leading 10-3 after a 7-run frame, scoring runs on a sacrifice fly and two RBI doubles.

Sailors added to the lead with a solo shot off the scoreboard, putting him a single away from the cycle, to make it an 11-3 game in the seventh.

Ian Koosman kept Kansas at bay, tossing scoreless innings in the fifth, sixth, and seventh. The Jayhawks awoke out of their multi-inning offensive slumber, as Dariel Osoria hit a homer to make the score 11-4 in the eighth.

Kansas was set down in order in the ninth, sending the Jayhawks to an elimination game.

“Nothing really changes from here on out,” Osoria said. “Based off our preparation, we have to just do the same thing and stick to our true approach. Coach always preached about making sure we approach the game the right way and then always prepare the right way. So just another day to try and go and get a win.”