Super Regional Game 2 suspended

The Kansas baseball team arrived at Hoglund Ballpark on Sunday afternoon, determined to find a way to push its season to Monday.

Mother Nature provided an assist to make it happen.

But, down 8-1 in the third inning, the Jayhawks have their work cut out for them if they want to extend their season to a third and final Super Regional game later on Monday.

Super Regional Schedule for Hoglund Ballpark

Game 1: Saturday, June 6 – Oklahoma 8, Kansas 1

Game 2 completion: Monday, June 8, 12 p.m. (central) ESPN2 | OU leads 8-1

Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 8, 4:06 p.m. (central)

Game 2 will pick up where it left off — with OU batting in the bottom of the third inning — at 12:02 p.m. central. Oklahoma's Kyle Branch is at the plate, facing a 3-1 count with nobody on base and nobody out in the inning. KU's Boede Rahe was on the mound when the game was suspended.

If Kansas can find a way to come back and win that one, the winner-take-all Game 3 is slated for a 4:06 p.m. first pitch.

With thunderstorms that produced heavy rain and lightning hovering above Hoglund Ballpark throughout the afternoon on Sunday, the Jayhawks and Sooners had their Super Regional game postponed around 8:40 p.m. and ultimately suspended completely just under two hours later.

The game started 2.5 hours later than scheduled as it was — 7:30 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. — and the teams were only able to get into the third inning before weather created another delay.

The first inning took just 12 minutes and featured Oklahoma taking a 1-0 lead after some intense base running and real pressure put on the Kansas defense.

KU tied the game at 1-all on an RBI single by Jordan Bach in the top of the 2nd inning, but the Sooners responded to that by putting up a 6-run 2nd of their own to build a big lead.

OU added another run in the third on a solo home run by red-hot first baseman Dayton Tockey off of KU closer Boede Rahe, and the game was suspended not long after that, with the Sooners leading 8-1 and threatening to add more runs in the frame.

The stadium was cleared and the NCAA and weather crews watched the rain and lightning for more than 100 minutes before deciding to push the completion of the game to Monday.

Because the game was shown on ESPN, the NCAA, network officials and administrators from both schools had to collaborate on the proper course of action, along with coming together to set the right time to resume the action on Monday.

Rahe was the Jayhawks' third pitcher of the game. Starter Mason Cook did not get out of the second inning. And reliever Riane Ritter was pulled in favor of Rahe to start the third inning.

For the second straight night, OU hit KU pitching hard and the Jayhawks struggled on both offense and in the field.

OU recorded its 8 runs on 6 hits, including the home run by Tockey, his fifth of the postseason so far.

KU recorded its 1 run on 3 hits and also had an error that helped lead to an Oklahoma run.

The task in front of the Jayhawks is a tall one, but this team has shown all season that it's not afraid of a little adversity. Kansas (45-17) recorded 25 comeback wins this season, but none of them were in the face of this kind of deficit and on this kind of a stage.

The winner of the Super Regional series — the first KU has ever appeared in since the NCAA added the round to its postseason format in 1999 — will advance to Omaha, Nebraska, to open play in next week's College World Series.

KU is fighting to become just the second team in program history to reach Omaha.

— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com