Kansas University pitcher Kodiak Quick watched from the dugout Sunday as his win against Baylor slipped away at Hoglund Ballpark.

Quick had all but closed the door on the 12th-ranked Bears, who had hammered KU for a combined 21 runs on 32 hits in two victories to open the series.

KU’s junior ace allowed only four hits, struck out five Bears and held Baylor to a lone run heading into the ninth inning.

But then things unraveled, and Baylor escaped with a 3-2 victory.

Quick struck out the first Baylor batter in the ninth, but then he gave up a hard single and a walk.

KU reliever Don Czyz entered and fared even worse, throwing a wild pitch on his first ball to advance the runners, then an RBI groundout tied the game at 2. Czyz’s second ball in the dirt was the ball game.

Quick didn’t talk afterward. KU coach Ritch Price didn’t have much to say, either.

“Obviously, that’s as tough a loss as we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said the third-year coach, whose squad slipped to 24-18 on the season and 3-9 in Big 12 Conference play.

Price applauded Quick’s gem and said he left the junior in for the ninth — despite having thrown 120 pitches — because Quick had earned the right to finish.

Kansas University junior outfielder Matt Baty, right, prepares to catch a fly ball as John Allman backs him up against Baylor. The Jayhawks blew a late lead and lost to the Bears, 3-2, Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark.

“He was really special,” Price said. “Our thought process was, he deserved the opportunity to close it out because of how good he was throwing the baseball. You have to reward someone who is pitching that good.”

Baylor (24-13, 12-3) was helped by a pair of outstanding catches in the outfield, including a stumbling grab by Reid Brees, whose brother, Drew, the San Diego Chargers quarterback, was in attendance.

However, KU’s faithful probably would point to two controversial calls in the fifth inning that kept the Jayhawks from scoring more runs.

Jayhawk Gus Milner had tied the game at 1 in the fourth when he hit a bomb to left field, and Kansas came out with fire again in the fifth when Ritchie Price slapped an infield single. Jared Schweitzer followed with a single, and Baylor made a pitching change.

Abe Woody relieved and walked Milner, loading the bases for KU catcher Sean Richardson, who hit a sharp ball to BU second baseman Michael Griffin.

6Sports video: Baylor sweeps series against KU

Griffin bobbled the grounder and threw the ball wide of first, but first-base umpire Andy Eaves said Richardson did not beat the throw as Price scored.

Then, John Allman was called out to end the inning after a check-swing strike when home plate umpire Mike Morris appealed to Eaves.

Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price, left, argues with first-base umpire Andy Eaves during the fifth inning against Baylor. Eaves made two calls that Price deemed questionable in the inning, and the Jayhawks eventually lost, 3-2, Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark.

Price ran out to argue after Richardson’s out and also was visibly upset with the second consecutive call.

“I thought I beat the throw, he didn’t. That’s the way it went,” Richardson said.

Richardson hated to see Quick lose the way he did and said the setback was even harder to take considering how the series began.

“To bounce back the way we did after embarrassing losses on Friday and Saturday and then come up short in the ninth really hurts,” Richardson said.