Columbia, Mo. ? Missouri right fielder Blake Brown’s RBI single to right field in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over Kansas University on Saturday afternoon to even the teams’ Big 12 baseball series at Taylor Stadium.

The outcome snapped a three-game winning streak for KU (17-18 overall, 7-7 Big 12). MU ended a nine-game losing streak and six-game skid against Kansas in improving to 14-21 and 2-8.

With the score tied at 2, Brandon Champagne led off the ninth with a single to right and moved to second on a sacrifice. That set up Brown’s heroics. The junior lined a 2-0 pitch into right field in front of Casey Lytle to score Champagne with the winning run.

It was the first loss of the season for KU closer Colton Murray and marked the third time in the last three visits to Columbia that the Jayhawks have lost in walk-off fashion.

On the strength of a Zac Elgie’s RBI double in the first and an RBI groundout in the third, Kansas built a 2-0 lead after three innings.

KU starting pitcher Tanner Poppe was effectively wild through four, allowing just one hit.

However, the Tigers broke out in the fifth. After Poppe retired the leadoff man, Champagne collected a one-out single, and Eric Garcia doubled to right field.

Poppe retired Brown on a groundout to third, but a wild pitch and an RBI single by Jonah Schmidt tied the score at 2.

The sophomore righty departed after allowing two runs on four hits with five walks and three strikeouts over 42/3 innings. It was Poppe’s shortest start of the season.

The Jayhawks will look to win their first three-game series in Columbia since 1983 when the teams meet for the rubber game of the three-game set at 1 p.m. today.