GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Despite big days at the plate for HBU senior first baseman
Bradley Brown and junior third baseman
Curtis Jones, the Huskies couldn't overcome Kansas' six-run second inning in an 11-5 loss in the four-game series opener Friday afternoon at QuikTrip Park.
Brown went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBIs and scored a pair of runs for HBU (6-3), while Jones was 4-for-5 and scored twice. Junior centerfielder
Zach Nehrir went 2-for-4 with an RBI and has hit safely in all nine games, while senior shortstop
CJ Jarvis went 2-for-3 with a double and scored a run.
Dakota Smith went 3-for-5 with a triple and scored a run, while Tucker Tharp went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and scored twice for Kansas (9-0). Justin Protacio was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs, while Aaron Hernandez and Michael Tinsley each collected two hits for the Jayhawks. Connor McKay homered and drove in a pair.
Junior righthander
Taylor Wright (2-1) took the loss for HBU, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on 10 hits in 3.2 innings. Sophomore
Matt Harding allowed one run in 3.1 innings of relief.
Wes Benjamin (2-0) picked up the win for Kansas, allowing five runs on 11 hits and striking out eight in six-plus innings.
In the second, Smith got the rally started with a one-out triple and scored on a Hernandez single. Tharp followed with a two-run home run and Protacio later added an RBI double. Tommy Mirabelli had an RBI groundout and Protacio scored on an error to make the score 6-0.
The Jayhawks added two in the fourth on McKay's fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left.
The Huskies got on the board in the fifth when Jones led off with a single, Brown followed with a double and Nehrir lifted a sacrifice fly to right. Brown scored on an RBI groundout by senior designated hitter
Mike Chamberlain.
HBU added three more in the seventh as Jarvis led off with a double, Jones singled and Brown blasted his second homer of the season to cut the deficit to 9-5.
Kansas added a pair of unearned runs late for the final tallies.
The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at noon, followed by a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.