photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Sawyer Smith just misses a ground ball against Cincinnati at Hoglund Ballpark Saturday, May 3, 2025.

The University of Kansas baseball team led early Saturday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark, but in the end, the Jayhawks were unable to hold off a late offensive onslaught by Cincinnati and the Bearcats pulled out an 18-14, 10-inning win over the 25th-ranked Jayhawks in a Big 12 Conference game.

“It was some ugly baseball for a good chunk of the day, mixed with some clutch plays from both teams,” said Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald, whose team has now dropped two straight games since going on a nine-game winning streak. “There were two really good offensive teams out there today, but at the same time, neither bullpen was able to hold a lead, either. It’s all part of a three-game series.”

Kansas (36-12, 15-8) led 5-1 after four innings, but Cincinnati (26-20, 12-11) rallied in the middle innings and scored eight unanswered runs to build a 9-5 advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh.

“(Kansas starter Cooper Moore) got hit some, but he wasn’t as efficient as usual,” Fitzgerald said. “Our bullpen hasn’t been there the past couple of games. We need to get a quality start out of (Sunday starter Kannon Carr) and we need some guys at the back end of the bullpen to stand up and put up some zeroes.”

Kansas used eight relievers in the game Saturday, with the Jayhawks’ bullpen giving up 13 runs on 13 hits with six walks in 4 2/3 innings of work Saturday. Moore started and worked 5 1/3 innings before being lifted, allowing five runs on 10 hits with eight strikeouts and a walk.

The Jayhawks scored four runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 9, but the Bearcats got to the Kansas relief corps again, scoring five runs in the top of the eighth to go up, 14-9. However, Kansas rallied once more, plating two runs in the eighth and getting a two-out, three-run homer from Dariel Osoria in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 14 and force extra innings.

In the 10th, Cincinnati – which finished with 23 hits in the game – scored four more runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs, to reclaim an 18-14 lead the Bearcats didn’t relinquish as they claimed the series win.

“Our guys love to compete,” Fitzgerald said. “Losing these kinds of games can be hard to deal with emotionally because you fight to get back into it, but don’t win. Still, I’m super proud of the way they competed today.”

Osoria led the Kansas offense, going 3-for-6 with a double, homer, six RBIs and three runs scored. Brady Counsell ended up 3-for-5 with three runs scored, Brady Ballinger had two hits, including a double, and scored two runs, and Derek Cerda and Ian Francis had two hits apiece for the Jayhawks, who finished with 16 hits.

Kerrington Cross had a career day for Cincinnati, going 5-for-7 with three homers (two three-run shots and a solo homer) and 10 RBIs and Jack Natili was also 5-for-7 for the Bearcats. Olathe native Quinton Coats went 3-for-6 with a solo homer and scored two runs, Lauden Brooks went 3-for-4 and scored four runs and Charlie Niehaus was 2-for-2, but scored four runs.

Kansas and Cincinnati close out their three-game series at 1 p.m. Sunday. Kansas sends Carr (4-1, 4.35 ERA) to the hill, while the Bearcats are expected to counter with left-hander Kellen O’Connor (2-2, 4.47 ERA).