17 April 2023
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – KU and K-State baseball made it through rain and wind in the 2023 Sunflower Showdown.
The games followed the turbulent weather. However, the three edge-of-your seat games all had the same result. K-State swept the Sunflower Showdown 5-4, 6-1, and 21-18.
Game one:
K-State gave Kansas its first home loss of the season. KU led 2-0 early, but the Wildcats caught up. In the third inning, Nick Goodwin put the Cats on top with his eighth homer of the season. A two-run home run over the centerfield wall gave K-State its first lead of the game.
With the game tied at 4 in the eighth inning, Roberto Pena pushed a safety squeeze out of the Jayhawks’ range to score the game-winning run.
“That was a great start to the series,” head coach Pete Hughes said. “Loved how our guys refused to be down. They answered KU’s runs and then some.”
Game two:
Nick Goodwin’s home runs continued. He put the ‘Cats on the board, 2-0, in the first with his ninth home run of the season. K-State expanded the lead to three with Kyan Lodice’s first collegiate homer in the third.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” Goodwin said. “Confidence is definitely up there. I’ve been here a lot. This is my third year playing so I feel like I’ve got a lot of experience, so I know what to expect.”
In the fifth inning, KU showed flashes of hope. Cooper Kelly doubled into the gap with one out. Mike Koszewski came up next and dropped a bunt single on the third base line. K-State fielded the ball and threw it away trying to get Koszewski out at first, allowing Kelly to score. The run cut the deficit to 3-1.
In the sixth, Kansas State responded with two runs of its own. After Kansas got the first two batters out, the next five batters reached base, which included four walks, two of which were with the bases loaded. The K-State lead increased to 5-1.
Despite the loss, KU’s Cole Elvis extended his hit-streak to 11 games.
Game three:
The wind made day three a hitter’s paradise and a pitcher’s nightmare. After a scoreless first inning, Kansas State’s offense exploded in the second inning. The Wildcats scored 13 runs on 11 hits and one KU error. Seven of the 11 runs came from a solo shot, grand slam and two-run blast. K-State held a 13-0 lead after two innings.
KU didn’t back down. The Jayhawks added a couple runs to the board before it was Chase Jans’s turn. Jans was up with the bases loaded. He took the first pitch he saw 439 feet out to left-center for his first-career grand slam. KU still trailed 13-7 at the end of the second inning.
K-State answered, scoring four runs in the top of the fourth to extend its lead back to 17-7.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kansas was able to get three of those runs back. Jake English hit a solo home run and Jans hit a two-run single to bring the score to 17-10.
In the eighth inning, K-State hit a three-run home run to push its lead to 21-13. Again, Kansas responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Despite all of KU’s comeback efforts, K-State stayed one step ahead to hold onto the win.
“It’s huge for us, especially coming into this ballpark, not playing at home,” Kyan Lodice said. “For us to get a sweep here this weekend, it just shows what’s to come for the rest of the season and the rest of the rivalry.”
Jans tied the KU record with nine RBI, a mark that was set in 1993.
“He’s come a long way and has done a great job,” head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “He’s worked really hard and is a great kid. He left some guys on base in his first couple at-bats, so he had a chance to shatter [the record]. He’s super talented and it’s been a good season for him.”
It’s the highest-scoring game in Sunflower Showdown history.