Oklahoma Tops Kansas 8-1 in Kansas Baseball Super Regional Opener
Oklahoma beat kansas baseball 8-1 on Saturday night at Hoglund Ballpark, and Kansas now has to win Sunday to keep its season alive. The Jayhawks were one defeat away from missing the College World Series, while Oklahoma moved one win from Omaha.
Hoglund Ballpark Opens With 4,415
The opener drew a school-record crowd of 4,415, but the night belonged to Oklahoma’s pitchers and power. Kansas finished with four hits, and Dominic Voegele took the loss after allowing seven runs, three earned, on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Cord Rager controlled the game for six innings. He allowed one hit, struck out six and walked one, while Oklahoma backed him with three home runs from Dayton Tockey, Camden Johnson and Trey Gambill. Tockey’s three-run shot came in the fourth inning, then Johnson and Gambill connected in the fifth to stretch the lead beyond reach.
Dan Fitzgerald Faces Sunday
Dan Fitzgerald did not hide the position Kansas is in. “I knew we’d have to persevere sometime and this is our opportunity to do that because now it’s win or we’re done,” he said after the loss. He also said, “You have to tip your cap to (Oklahoma),” and added, “They played a great game and played clean baseball for most of the game.”
Kansas at least got one swing back from Jordan Bach, who hit a one-out solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. By then, the score had long been settled, and the Jayhawks were left trying to turn one loss into a reset before the series moves to Game 2.
Cook And Mercurius Set For Game 2
Kansas was scheduled to start Mason Cook in Sunday’s 5 p.m. Central time game, with Xander Mercurius set for Oklahoma. Fitzgerald said, “Nothing is going to change in terms of our preparation,” and added, “We have a lot of confidence in (Cook) and we have a full bullpen we can go to. I know we’re going to come out ready to play.”
The numbers leave no room for drift. Kansas entered the series at 45-17, Oklahoma at 37-22, and a win Sunday would force a third and deciding game on Monday. For Kansas, the path is simple now: win once or the season ends at Hoglund Ballpark.
