How Kansas baseball outlasted Missouri in Border Showdown at Kauffman Stadium

It wasn’t too long ago that the 13 Kansas kids on KU baseball’s roster watched the Royals’ World Series runs in 2014 and 2015.

In the years that would have been their formative time as young athletes, it was players like Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas who the future Jayhawks were watching, either from their TV screens or the seats of Kauffman Stadium itself.

Head coach Dan Fitzgerald knew this going into his squad’s Border Showdown matchup on Tuesday, with the Jayhawks and Tigers meeting at The K.

“All those names that were so special during that run, these are the posters that were on their walls growing up,” Fitzgerald said.

And, after 10 innings, those same players got to walk out of the place they watched their childhood idols with a 4-3 win.

It seemed fitting that a pair of Kansas natives were the deciding factor in yet another extra-innings edition of the Border Showdown, with catcher Jake English (an Olathe South product) leading off the top of the 10th with a double to right center. English was subbed for a pinch runner in outfielder Tyler Gerety (of Seneca, Kan.), who scored the winning run on shortstop Collier Cranford’s sac fly.

Extra innings certainly weren’t in the Jayhawks’ plans for the win after they grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the second. Designated hitter Janson Reeder led off with a double, and Overland Park native Chase Jans sent a triple down the right-field line to bring him home. Jans scored on the following plate appearance on John Nett’s sac-fly to right.

The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the third. Thomas Curry singled in a run before Kansas pushed the lead to 3-1 in the fifth.

The Jayhawks made the MU pitchers — Charlie Miller and Brock Lucas — work in the top half of the frame. Four different KU batters worked a full count, and two others drew walks, including LSU transfer Luke Leto when the bases were loaded.

But Lucas settled in to get the final out of the frame, and the Tigers quickly tied the score. Bold baserunning from outfielder Jeric Curtis resulted in him taking third and then scoring on a throwing error. Jackson Lovich homered to level the score 3-3.

“In a game like this, I don’t think it’s ever about losing the lead (once it becomes) a tie game,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s why we continually talk about just playing one pitch at a time and just playing against the strike zone and not making more of it than it is.”

Lucas went on to pitch 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the Tigers, with five strikeouts, but the Jayhawks’ bullpen equally held its own with six punchouts. Three of those strikeouts came from Hunter Cranton, who was credited with the win.

“Cranton was awesome,” Fitzgerald said, noting he hadn’t pitched in over a week due to illness. “That’s a guy who’s really worked and just put the blinders on. He’s exactly what you want in a back-end guy.”

This season’s Border Showdown has seen extra-innings finishes in both of its games, but this time the Jayhawks avenged their 5-4 loss from Hoglund Ballpark last week.

“Rivalry games are great,” Fitzgerald said. “College sports are built on them. ... It’s a fun rivalry and will continue to be.”

Through the competitiveness and rivalry of the Border Showdown, and the feeling of being on a MLB field playing America’s pastime, Fitzgerald had one sentiment that mirrored the famous line from the 2011 movie “Moneyball”: How can you not be romantic about baseball?

“I think it’s special,” Fitzgerald said. “If you’re not a little romantic about being on a big-league baseball field, there’s something wrong with you. These places are cathedrals of the game.”

Kansas improved to 11-8 on the season and will next play host to UCF at Hoglund Ballpark for a weekend series. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 22.