Wildcat baseball splits at Large 12 event, upsets No. 8 Texas Tech

Kansas State baseball began their quest for a Large 12 event championship towards the 2 seed and No. 8 Texas Tech Crimson Raiders and misplaced 3-5. Then, Okay-State sparked curiosity by defeating West Virginia 8-5 and eliminating Texas Tech 6-5 in further innings however misplaced 3-4 to No. 22 Oklahoma.

The 2 Large 12 event losses concluded the Wildcat’s season, however — very similar to this previous season — they went out with a bang, upsetting groups they have been swept by within the common season.

Probably the most entertaining convention conflict was Friday night time via Saturday morning’s extra-innings battle towards the Crimson Raiders. The 11-inning truthful outlasted the clock previous midnight, however all eyes have been on the underdogs that decision themselves Wildcats.

Okay-State jumped on Large 12 pitcher of the yr, Brandon Birdsell, early within the sport with a Nick Goodwin house run on the primary pitch of the second inning. Following the solo-jack was a double from Cole Johnson, an infield single from Kaelen Culpepper, and a two-RBI single from OU-transfer and veteran catcher Justin Mitchell.

The three-run benefit lasted till the sixth inning, when the Crimson Raiders retaliated towards reduction pitcher Blake Corsentino, including three runs to their one-run fourth inning. The go-ahead fourth run fell on Corsentino’s shoulders with a failed pickoff to first base, launching the ball down the right-field line.

The pricey error felt like a repeating nightmare for Wildcat followers, as three errors contributed to Texas Tech’s opening win towards Okay-State on Wednesday night. Okay-State saved the primary matchup at arm’s size, however two unearned runs made the distinction in that sport because the Wildcats fell 5-3, regardless of a three-run seventh inning effort.

Associated:

West Virginia sweeps Wildcat baseball in closing Large 12 regular-season sequence

Learn Now

This end result was completely different, however not earlier than drama arrived within the ninth inning with Texas Tech main 5-4. Okay-State outfielder Dom Johnson by accident collided with Crimson Raider first baseman Hudson White, knocking White to the bottom. Johnson then turned in the direction of second solely to be tagged out by White returning to first base, the place White stared Johnson down as they exchanged phrases.

The drama resulted in Dom Johnson being ejected for making “obscene gestures” from the dugout, as the published commentators famous. Nevertheless, it solely added gasoline to the fireplace, as Brady Day would later race house to power further innings.

Over the course of the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth innings, freshman pitcher Ty Ruhl dominated, silencing Texas Tech with 4 strikeouts. The trouble gave manner for Okay-State’s Josh Nicoloff to bunt Cole Johnson house on a go-ahead suicide squeeze play to place the Wildcats up 6-5.

All-American Dylan Phillips relieved Ruhl within the backside half of the inning and shut the door on Tech, hanging out White.

Beginning efforts from German Fajardo towards Texas Tech (sport three) and Blake Adams towards West Virginia (sport two) ignited Okay-State’s probabilities of their wins. Fajardo threw 5 innings and allowed two runs, hanging out six batters in Okay-State’s stunning upset.

Adams sat 9 Mountaineer batter’s down in 6.2 innings pitched. The Arkansas switch surrendered 4 runs, however the Wildcat’s offense supplied sufficient run assist to safe his sixth victory of the season, notching his season at 6-6.

On Thursday, Phillips and Dom Johnson led the offensive cost towards West Virginia, scoring three runs (one Phillips, two Johnson) and scorching three RBIs. One in all Johnson’s two RBIs resulted in Okay-State’s first solo-bomb of the Large 12 event.

Money Rugely additionally tallied two RBIs in Okay-State’s win over West Virginia — one thing Okay-State wanted extra of towards No. 22 Oklahoma.

The back-and-forth sport towards the Sooners devastated the Wildcats within the sixth inning when OU took the primary multi-run lead. OU took an early 1-0 however Okay-State took benefit of an error within the second to tie it up.

The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead on a Money Rugely single within the fifth inning, however the one-run lead wasn’t sustainable. Okay-State’s Griffin Hassall pitched 5 innings, hanging out 5 batters, however finally ran out of gasoline and allowed three Sooner runs.

The Wildcats did scratch a 3rd run throughout on an RBI single from Mitchell, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to match OU’s 4. The Sooners held on and eradicated Okay-State.

Okay-State completed the season 29-29, profitable 21 video games at house and simply six on the highway, with two extra impartial website wins. The squad’s extra notable wins got here towards the Texas Longhorns, profitable two out of three. Nevertheless, an 8-16 regular-season convention file received’t qualify for the NCAA event.