Kona, Hawaii ? The Kansas University baseball team couldn’t overcome a six-run deficit Saturday, falling to Hawaii-Hilo, 8-6, to close the teams’ season-opening five-game series.

Down 2-0, Hawaii-Hilo (1-4) took the lead with six runs in the bottom of the third inning. All six runs came with two outs.

KU (4-1) rallied with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings, but the Vulcans stayed out front thanks to single tallies in the fifth and eighth.

Matt Haasenritter, Robby Mowers and Alvis Satele each drove in three runs to lead the Hawaii-Hilo attack.

Freshman Nick Czyz suffered the loss for the Jayhawks in his first collegiate start, surrendering six runs in 22â3 innings.

Seniors Ritchie Price, Jared Schweitzer, Matt Baty and Gus Milner combined for 11 of KU’s 15 hits, while sophomore Ryne Price hit his second homer of the season.

The Jayhawks won the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader in commanding fashion, plating 14 runs between the second and fourth innings on their way to a 17-3 victory in a seven-inning contest.

Freshman Preston Land hit two of KU’s four homers and finished with four RBIs. Ryne Price also homered and drove in four runs, and junior Dylan Parzyk also went deep.

Schweitzer, Brock Simpson and Erik Morrison each collected two hits for the Jayhawks.

Senior Ricky Fairchild, a Tulane University transfer, took advantage of the support, limiting Hawaii-Hilo to four hits in five innings of work to earn the victory.

KU will head west again next weekend with a three-game series against Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. The first game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.