The Kansas Jayhawk baseball team, for all of its (deserved) plaudits, almost found a way to slice their momentum into bits during Thursday’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal against the Baylor Bears.
Kansas had jumped out to a thundering 6-0 lead heading into the sixth inning and looked to be in cruise control. Junior catcher Augusto Mungarrieta knocked in a two-run lead that stayed until the fifth inning, as back-to-back homers from Tyson LeBlanc and Tyson Owens gave KU a 4-0 lead.
Infielder Dylan Schlotterback rang in a bases-loaded walk, with Mungarrieta then scoring off a wild pitch, setting up the Jayhawks with a 6-0 lead. However, the action wasn’t done there. The Bears continually chipped away and in the final three innings had outscored Kansas 7-1, including the final two runs being scored on an 0-2 count with two outs on the board.
Ultimately, sophomore outfielder Savion Flowers saved the day with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th, sparing Kansas’ blushes, as head coach Dan Fitzgerald put it via Kansas Athletics. "Great college baseball game. Another example of the Big 12 and how deep it is and how competitive every game is.”
Kansas’ win total has now reached at least 40 wins for just the fifth time in school history, with back-to-back coming under Fitzgerald.
“...That was a huge win. Obviously, these guys are the story of the game, but it's an entire dugout, an entire program that was into that one. A special day and we get to play again tomorrow."
Thursday marked Kansas’ seventh walk-off victory of the season.
Kansas State given first-look at near KU collapse
While hosting a conference tournament in Surprise, Arizona, is a bit away from where several Big 12 teams are stationed, one of the few pros is the ability for prospective opponents to watch each other when the time is right. And when the Jayhawks were in the midst of letting a six-run lead fall into shambles, Kansas State had a front row seat.
KSU baseball waiting to play watches KU blow a 6 run lead as Baylor ties it. pic.twitter.com/veqhhhEaPH
— Kevin Kietzman (@kkhasissues) May 21, 2026
On the flipside, when Flowers saved the day with his solo shot, the Wildcats were likely the first spectators to exit the rafters.
Equal time, haters. Here’s the fun. Great game! pic.twitter.com/1EU9moSY4q
— Kevin Kietzman (@kkhasissues) May 22, 2026
"The coaches did a great job of preparing us for that in the offseason and the fall. It was just another at-bat to me. I was trying to get on base and help the team,” quoted Flowers postgame.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, would go on to lose to the No. 2 West Virginia in a 4-2 affair, later Thursday night.
Kansas moves one big step in the Big 12 Tournament
The Jayhawks’ narrow win pushed Fitzgerald and Co. to the tournament's semifinal against No. 5 Oklahoma State. When the two met in the regular season, Kansas took the series after dropping the first matchup 13-2. In the final two games between the two sides, KU outpaced the Cowboys 22-9.
First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN+.
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