Arkansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (05/30/2026) — The Kansas Jayhawks erased a five-run deficit with a relentless middle-innings surge and held off a late Arkansas rally to win 13-10 on Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark, where 4,007 fans watched a game that featured eight home runs and 23 combined runs.
The University of Arkansas jumped ahead early and led 5-0 through three innings, but Kansas answered with an 11-run barrage across the fourth, fifth and sixth that flipped the game for good. The Jayhawks led only one lead change all afternoon — and never gave it back.
How It Happened
Arkansas set the tone immediately. Ryder Helfrick homered to left-center in the first inning to make it 1-0, and the Razorbacks pushed across three more in the second when Damian Ruiz singled to left to score Robinett and Maika Niu, followed by Camden Kozeal's RBI single to deep right. Niu extended the margin to 5-0 in the third with a run-scoring single to center.
Kansas began chipping away in the fourth. Dariel Osoria homered to left-center for the Jayhawks' first run, and after Soliz Jr.'s RBI single trimmed the gap to 5-3, Tyson LeBlanc launched a three-run homer to center that vaulted Kansas ahead 6-5. The Jayhawks tacked on two more in the fifth on a fielder's-choice run by Schlotterback and a Brady Ballinger groundout that plated Jordan Bach, building an 8-5 cushion.
The sixth inning broke the game open. Josh Dykhoff crushed a three-run homer to right, scoring LeBlanc and Mungarrieta to make it 11-5. Helfrick answered with his second home run of the day, a two-run shot to left, but Arkansas could not close the distance.
Turning Point
LeBlanc's three-run homer in the fourth was the decisive swing. Kansas had clawed within 5-3 and had runners aboard when LeBlanc connected to center, turning a two-run deficit into a 6-5 lead — the only lead change of the game. From that at-bat forward, Kansas controlled the scoreboard, expanding the margin in each of the next two innings before the bullpen navigated the late innings. Mungarrieta's run on Bach's bases-loaded walk in the eighth and a Dykhoff-fueled offense kept the Razorbacks at arm's length.
Star of the Game
Josh Dykhoff powered the Kansas attack, finishing 3-for-5 with three runs, three RBI and the back-breaking three-run homer in the sixth. His production anchored a lineup that saw multiple hitters reach base repeatedly. LeBlanc was equally pivotal, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two walks and the go-ahead home run, while Dariel Osoria led the team with four hits, going 4-for-5 with a home run. Jordan Bach reached base five times, drawing three walks and scoring twice.
For Arkansas, Maika Niu was a one-man wrecking crew at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, two runs, two RBI and a ninth-inning home run to left. Helfrick added two home runs and three RBI, and Zack Stewart's two-run shot to right-center in the eighth briefly kept the Razorbacks within striking distance at 13-9.
What It Means
The win showcased Kansas's resilience, as the Jayhawks overcame an early five-run hole by stringing together four home runs and capitalizing on Arkansas miscues, including an error at third base that extended the fifth-inning rally. The bullpen effort — including Manning West's three innings of one-run ball and Riane Ritter's four strikeouts over 1.2 innings — bridged the gap to the finish.
Arkansas will rue a fast start that slipped away. The Razorbacks pounded out home runs from Helfrick, Stewart and Niu and never stopped swinging, scoring in the eighth and ninth to make Kansas sweat. But the middle innings proved costly, as Razorbacks pitching surrendered the bulk of Kansas's 13 runs over a three-inning stretch. Niu's perfect day at the plate and Helfrick's two-homer performance offered clear bright spots for a lineup that produced 10 runs of its own in a hard-fought, back-and-forth slugfest.
