photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas' Sawyer Smith celebrates in the dugout during the game against Kansas State on Friday, April 18, 2025, in Lawrence.

The Kansas baseball team beat Kansas State twice on Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark to complete the Jayhawks’ first sweep in the Sunflower Showdown since 2019.

The result allowed KU to vault two games ahead of the Wildcats in the Big 12 standings, back into a three-way tie for second place in the conference at 12-6 in league play, and 31-10 overall.

It also completed an unbeaten 4-0 week for the Jayhawks to counterbalance the previous 0-4 week that had stalled their momentum and dropped them out of national rankings.

Both of Saturday’s games — the doubleheader was scheduled in anticipation of inclement weather — began with early 3-1 leads for K-State, before the Wildcats struggled to score during the remaining innings.

In the first half of the doubleheader, starter Cooper Moore weathered his troublesome early innings and ended up going eight innings before Alex Breckheimer picked up his second save of the series; KSU did not score a run for the final six frames and KU won 6-3.

In the second game of the day, the Wildcats briefly pulled back ahead at 4-3 on a double by Maximus Martin after losing their early lead. But a sacrifice fly by Friday night’s hero Jackson Hauge tied the game again, and Brady Counsell’s two-run ground-rule double made it 6-4.

Thaniel Trumper, Malakai Vetock, Manning West and Dalton Smith pitched one scoreless inning apiece. Eric Lin, back in his previous closer role, escaped a dicey ninth with just one run allowed thanks to a diving catch by center fielder Derek Cerda, allowing KU to complete the sweep with the one-run victory.

As usual, the Jayhawks got contributions up and down the lineup. Michael Brooks went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday’s first game, and Brady Ballinger and Sawyer Smith recorded two hits apiece in the second. Martin’s standout day — all told, 6-for-8 with three RBIs — wasn’t enough for the Wildcats, as the rest of their team had 10 hits combined in the two games.

KU will look to avenge one of its earlier defeats when it travels to face Nebraska for a midweek matchup at 6:05 p.m. on Tuesday. The Jayhawks’ next conference series is on the road at last-place Utah beginning Friday.