Baseball: Kansas Beats Stanford Cardinal In 13 Innings To Open Series

Pinch-hitter Brant Whiting delivered a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the ninth Friday at Sunken Diamond, but the Kansas Jayhawks broke through with two runs in the top of the 13th to beat the Stanford Cardinal 4-2 in the opener of a three-game weekend series.

Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, Alex Dunlap led off with a double down the left-field line. Pinch-runner Jack Klein moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and Whiting delivered a single up the middle on a 1-2 pitch to tie the game. Pinch-runner Dominic Jose stole second to get into scoring position, but Wayne Taylor grounded out to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.

The game was scoreless until the eighth, when Kansas (12-1) got a pair of runs on an RBI triple by Connor McKay and a throwing error by right fielder Zach Hoffpauir that allowed McKay to come across as well.

Stanford (5-8) got a run back in the bottom of the frame. Brett Michael Doran reached on a throwing error by third baseman Aaron Hernandez and wound up at second base and scored on a one-out single by Austin Slater.

Brett Hanewich was solid on the mound for the Cardinal, working into the sixth and allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out four. Marcus Brakeman gave up two runs, one earned, in 2.2 innings, allowing two hits and walking three with three Ks. Sam Lindquist hit a batter and struck out one, the only two batters he faced, and Chris Castellanos walked a man and recorded a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

The Jayhawks finally broke through in the 13th on an RBI single by Michael Suiter and a run-scoring double by McKay.

Stanford had its chances to end it, though.

The Cardinal loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 11th, but XXXX Decker and Taylor struck out to end the threat.

Stanford had the winning run at third base again in the 12th. With the bases loaded and one out, Doran was out at the plate on a grounder and Tommy Edman’s liner to right field couldn’t find any green.

Logan James (0-1) took the loss for Stanford, allowing a run on a hit and a walk with four strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Griffin Weir was also tagged with a run on two hits while getting the final two outs in the 13th.

Jordan Piche’ got the win for Kansas with five innings of relief work and Stephen Villines got the save with a 1-2-3 13th.

Danny Diekroeger and Drew Jackson had two hits apiece for the Cardinal.

The teams go back at it on Saturday at 2 p.m.