ARLINGTON, Texas – No. 7 seed Kansas (30-21) took down No. 6 seed Kansas State (31-23) 2-1 in the opener of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Globe Life Field. Lenny Ashby’s triple at the top of the ninth inning helped secure the Jayhawks' win over the Wildcats. 
 
Kansas got on the board first in the fourth inning after Ben Hartl homered to center field (1-0). This marks his 11th homerun this season. 
 
The Wildcats responded in the fifth inning off an RBI single by Kaelen Culpepper, sending Chuck Ingram home.  
 
The score remained tied 1-1 until the top of the ninth with a triple from Ashby for The Jayhawks. Sam Hunt went in as a runner for Ashby and scored with an RBI from Collier Cranford, making it a 2-1 game. 
 
Junior Tyson Neighbors (L, 1-2) threw 1.1 innings and struck out three of five batters for Kansas State. He gave up one hit and a career-first triple.
 
Junior Evan Shaw pitched the first five innings for the Jayhawks, giving up four hits and one run while throwing six strikeouts. Tegan Cain (W, 1-2) pitched 1.0 inning with one strikeout. Hunter Cranton closed out the game for Kansas with two strikeouts. 
 
Kansas will play either Wednesday, May 22, or Thursday, May 23 at 12:30 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Kansas State will face the loser of game two between fourth-seeded West Virginia and ninth-seeded TCU on Wednesday, May 22 at 9 a.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. 

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