By Otis Kirk
Arkansas wasted an outstanding outing by starter Hunter Dietz, but could only manage three hits and fell to Kansas 5-3 Saturday night at Hoglund Park in front of 4,042 fans.
Dietz pitched 6.1 innings striking out a career-high 14 batters, but in the bottom of the seventh he gave up a walk to Daniel Osoria to start the innings. After striking out Brady Ballinger, Dietz surrendered a hit to Dylan Schlotterback to end his night. James DeCremer came on and intentionally walked Tyson LeBlanc to load the bases with one out. DeCremer then walked Tyson Owens to give Kansas a 4-3 lead. Cole Gibler replaced DeCremer and got the Hogs out of the game with no more damage. Dave Van Horn summed it up well after the game.
"We had our chances, but Kansas got the big hits and we didn't," Van Horn said.
But in the bottom of the eighth, Gibler saw Augusta Mungarrieta blast a leadoff home run that traveled 405-feet over the fence in left field. That set the final margin of victory. Kansas closer Bode Rahe came in and earned his 11th save pitching two innings, walking one and striking out three. He walked the first batter he faced in Damian Ruiz in the top of the eighth, but then retired the next six Razorbacks to send the Jayhawks to the Lawrence Regional finals Sunday at 5 p.m.
The Razorbacks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Zack Stewart reached on an error on Schlotterback at third. Stewart advanced to second on the play. He advanced to third when TJ Pompey grounded out to shortstop. Stewart then scored on a ground out by Nolan Souza,
With one out in the bottom of the third, Schlotterback hit a ball to Maika Niu in center field. It fell for a single, but then the ball got past Niu to roll to the fence. Schlotterback went to third on the play. He scored when LeBlanc grounded out to shortstop to tie it at 1.
The Razorbacks struck next in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Rutenbar walked. Then first baseman Reese Robinett unloaded on a pitch that went 415 feet to give the Hogs a 3-1 lead.
The lead didn't last long. In the bottom of the fifth. Dietz walked Ballinger with one out. After another strikeout, LeBlanc hit his 23rd home run of the season to tie the game at 3.
Kansas had six hits in the game and left seven on. Arkansas stranded four runners. Both teams committed an error.
Mason Cook started for the Jayhawks and worked 4.2 innings. He gave up three hits, three runs, two earned, walked two and struck out one. Riane Ritter (8-2) picked up the win. He worked 2.1 innings allowing no hits and striking out four.
Dietz (7-4) took the loss. He gave up five hits, four runs and walked a pair. Gibler pitched 1.2 innings, allowing one hit, a run, walked a hitter and fanned two.
Arkansas (40-21) will face Northeastern (39-21) at noon on Sunday in an elimination game. Kansas (44-16) will face the winner of that game at 5 on Sunday. If Kansas were to lose that game, a final game would be played Monday.
