Turski and Weiman pace Kansas in victory over Huskies
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Lefty duo Taylor Turski and Blake Weiman combined to pitch eight shutout innings as the Kansas baseball team defeated Houston Baptist, 2-1, in the first game of a Friday doubleheader at Hoglund Ballpark.
Turski (1-0) started on the bump for the Jayhawks (6-7) and tossed five scoreless innings where he allowed just four Houston Baptist (7-5) base runners – two hits and two walks. Head coach Ritch Price called Weiman’s number for the sixth through eighth innings, and the southpaw extended his scoreless inning streak to nine and 1/3 innings with three perfect frames.
Kansas jumped on the board in the first inning after junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin led off the game with a double to right field. Senior first baseman John Remick drove him in with a sacrifice fly to center field and the Jayhawks had an early lead, 1-0.
KU tacked on another run in the sixth inning after freshman catcher Jaxx Groshans followed McLaughlin’s lead and doubled to start the frame. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and junior Luke Bakula drove him in with another sacrifice fly for the 2-0 Kansas advantage.
Those two runs proved pivotal as senior closer Stephen Villines (3) found himself in trouble in the ninth with two outs, going for his third save of the season. With a 2-0 lead, Price called upon his veteran reliever to shut the door in the ninth, after eight-scoreless from his lefty duo.
With a runner at first and two down, Villines issued back-to-back HBU singles that cut the Jayhawks’ lead in half and left runners at the corners. The Huskies then tried to be aggressive on the base paths, but Groshans said no and gunned out the runner attempting to steal second to end the game and preserve the Kansas victory, 2-1.
UP NEXT
Kansas and Houston Baptist play one more game Friday in the night cap of a doubleheader. Saturday’s originally scheduled 2 p.m. contest has been canceled, and the series will wrap up on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both remaining games of the series can be seen on ESPN3 or heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio.
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