Kansas University senior pitcher Mike Zagurski put in a solid seven-plus innings Friday night.

The only trouble came in the first three.

Kansas University catcher Sean Richardson fouls off a pitch against Baylor. The Jayhawks lost to the No. 12-ranked Bears, 8-4, Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

Baylor jumped to an early five-run lead and never let up, taking the series opener from the Jayhawks, 8-4, at Hoglund Ballpark.

“They were all over (Zagurski) early,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “I told him, that’s one of the best efforts we’ve had in the three years I’ve been here, because it didn’t look like he was going to get out of the third inning the way they were smoking the ball around the field.”

The 12th-ranked Bears (23-13 overall, 10-3 Big 12 Conference) jumped out early, showing serious aggressiveness at the plate, taking cuts early in the count against Zagurski and spraying balls all over the deep portions of the outfield.

And after creating a cushion in the second inning off of a solo home run from Kevin Sevigny, everyone got in on the action in the third.

Michael Griffin and Kyle Reynolds led off with back-to-back doubles, then Reynolds scored when Zach Dillon plastered a double off of the center-field wall. The four-run outburst that ensued came after Baylor batted around and was capped with Sevigny’s blooper into shallow right field that dropped between three Jayhawks.

6Sports video: Baylor too much for KU KU-Baylor game notes

“I left a few pitches up early, and they took care of ’em for me, I guess,” Zagurski said. “It was a quality baseball team, and they’re second in the Big 12 for a reason.”

But after talking in the dugout with pitching coach Steve Abney, Zagurski settled down, giving the Jayhawk offense, which didn’t get a hit until the fifth inning, a chance to fight back.

Kansas University baserunner Josh Allman slides into home under the tag of Baylor's Trey Taylor. The Jayhawks lost, 8-4, Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

That fifth inning was when the Jayhawks made it interesting. After loading the bases on two singles and a walk, freshman third baseman Erik Morrison pushed a deep fly ball about two feet wide of the left-field foul pole, nearly hitting his first career grand slam.

That momentum quickly was sucked out of the place when Morrison was called out on a questionable check swing which the umpires tagged as strike three. Kansas (24-16, 3-7) would score two runs that inning on wild pitches, but the threat ended when junior shortstop Ritchie Price hit a ground ball off Baylor pitcher Trey Taylor’s right leg that turned into a 6-4-3 double play.

The Jayhawks got as close as 6-4 in the next inning when senior Travis Dunlap skied a fly ball to Baylor third baseman Kevin Russo, who dropped it. Two runs scored on the gaffe.

But the Jayhawks had too much trouble figuring out Taylor and reliever Ryan LaMotta, mustering just four hits. Tonight’s 6 p.m. sandwich game will be no easier, as KU’s Sean Land (3-2, 5.14 earned-run average) goes up against Baylor fireballer Mark McCormick (4-2, 3.02).

KU's Jared Schweitzer, right, tags out Baylor baserunner Zach Dillon.

Ritch Price is hoping to spark offense tonight by inserting more of his left-handed hitters into the lineup.

“McCormick’s a plus-plus velocity guy,” he said. “We’re gonna play our left-handers and see if we can handle velocity. We’ve done a pretty good job of that here in the season.”