SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Despite tallying four late runs and out-hitting Kansas by a 9-6 margin, Missouri State suffered its seventh-consecutive setback Wednesday evening at Hammons Field, as the visiting Jayhawks snapped their own seven-game slide with a 9-5 victory over the Bears.

KU (14-10) made the most of its early offensive opportunities to score the game's first seven runs, plating six of those on two swings of Jaxx Groshans' bat. The junior catcher belted a three-run home run in the first inning to stake the Jayhawks to an early lead, then made it a 7-0 game in the fifth with a two-out, three-run double.

Jayhawks starter Steve Washilweski (2-0) held the Bears in check from there, striking out eight MSU hitters while allowing just one run in his 5 1/3 innings. Hunter Freese added 3.0 strong innings of relief to help lock down the victory, before the Bears struck for a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth on Logan Geha's fifth home run of the year.

Groshans finished 2-for-4 with six RBIs as the lone Jayhawk hitter to register a multi-hit night. His key first-inning blow was set up by a Rudy Karre leadoff single and a walk to James Cosentino from MSU starter Forrest Barnes. Groshans drove Barnes' 3-2 pitch off a light tower on the left-centerfield berm for his ninth home run of the season.

Barnes quickly settled into a groove for MSU, retiring 10 KU hitters in a row through the fourth inning. But Benjamin Sems coaxed a leadoff walk to set the Jayhawk offense in motion again in the fifth. Skyler Messinger then bounced what looked to be a prime double-play opportunity to short, but Mason Hull's throw to second was wide of the bag to give KU new life. The Jayhawks took full advantage, as a pair of hit batsmen forced home a run and Groshans followed by lacing a sharp bouncer just inside the bag at third to clear the bases.

MSU (5-18) would finally get to Washilewski in the sixth, using back-to-back singles by Ben Whetstone and Joey Polak to set up their first scoring rally. Brooks Zimmerman's sac fly to center brought in Whetstone to pull the Bears to within six runs.

Freese turned in a dominant stretch that saw the left-hander fan five straight Bears, before Polak went deep to left-center for his first home run as a Bear with two out in the eighth.

One-out singles from Sam Faith and Javier Ramos sparked MSU in the ninth, allowing Geha to connect on a three-run shot to center to slice the final margin to four runs.

Whetstone, Geha and Polak each turned in 2-for-4 efforts to lead the Bears, while Drew Millas extended his career-best hit streak to seven consecutive games.

Barnes (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on just two hits, while striking out four Jayhawks in his four-plus innings of work. Four MSU relievers would combine to hold KU to single runs in the eighth and ninth innings over the final four frames. Nate Witherspoon struck out a pair in his perfect inning, and Nick Schmidt logged a scoreless seventh.

The Bears turn their attention to Missouri Valley Conference play, with their league-opening, three-game set against Indiana State slated to kick off Friday (March 29) with a 6:30 p.m., game at Hammons Field.