K-State Rallies for Thrilling 10-9 Win Sunday

BEAUMONT, Texas – Kansas State entered the top of the sixth inning trailing Michigan State by six runs, but seven runs in the final four innings gave the Wildcats a 10-9 victory over the Spartans on Sunday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium. K-State extended its win streak to three games and evened its 2008 record at 3-3. Michigan State is now 3-4 with two of those losses coming to the Wildcats this weekend.

K-State was led at the plate by junior infielder Nate Tenbrink and freshman infielder Jason King. Tenbrink was 4-of-5 with three doubles, five RBIs and two runs scored. King was 3-of-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Freshman Thomas Rooke registered his first win in a Wildcat uniform as he tallied 3.2 innings of one-hit baseball in relief, while senior preseason All-American closer Daniel Edwards registered his second save of the season. Edwards now has 14 saves for his career and is four away from setting the school record.

The Wildcats’ comeback began in the top of the sixth, as Michigan State replaced starter Mark Sorenson with Ryan MacFarlane. K-State rudely greeted MacFarlane to the game as Carter Jurica walked and moved to third on a walk by Drew Biery and a ground out. Tenbrink singled to score Jurica and Biery and forced MacFarlane from the game after just 0.2 innings pitched.

K-State kept its offense rolling in the seventh after Adam Muenster walked and moved to third following Jurica being hit by a pitch and a Cruz single. He then scored on a sacrifice fly by Biery, his second in two days.

For the second straight inning, K-State kept Michigan State off the scoreboard and immediately continued their comeback. K-State got its first three runners on in the eighth as Tenbrink and King recorded back-to-back doubles and pinch hitter Derek Bunker was hit by a pitch. King scored on a fielder’s choice to cap another two-run inning.

Rooke pitched his second straight scoreless inning in the bottom of the eighth, as he retired the Spartans in order. K-State, trailing by a run in the ninth, opened the inning with a Biery walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Biery advanced to third on a fly out by Justin Bloxom and was plated on Tenbrink’s third double to tie the game at nine. King followed with the game-winning RBI single.

After allowing a lead-off single in the bottom of the ninth, Edwards completed the comeback by setting back the Spartans with a fielder’s choice, a strike out and a pop-up on the infield.

Kansas State jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, just as they did in the first game against the Spartans on Friday afternoon. Jurica walked and then moved first to third on a two-out single to centerfield by Biery. Bloxom followed with another two-out single, this time to rightfield, which scored Jurica and moved Bloxom to second. With runners on first and second, Tenbrink registered a two-RBI double to left field, which scored both Biery and Bloxom, but Tenbrink was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple to end the inning.

Michigan State tied things up in the third as they scored three runs on just two hits. The Spartans led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice bunt and a walk. Steve Gerstenberger singled to left field to load the bases for Kyle Day, who recorded a two-RBI single into left for the Spartans’ first two runs. After a ground out to record the second out of the inning and put Spartans on second and third, Morris walked two in a row to tally another Michigan State run and tie the game at three apiece.

MSU took the lead the following inning on a trio of singles and a walk. Dennis Jones singled with one out and Brandon Dorherty followed with a walk, which would be the end of the day for K-State’s Morris. Lance Hoge came on in relief and forced Gerstenberger to fly out to centerfield for the second out. With runners on first and third with two outs, Day singled up the middle to score one and move another runner to second. The Spartans got another RBI single from Chris Roberts to give Michigan State a two-run lead.

Michigan State took its six-run advantage in the fifth inning, as the Spartans batted around to take a 9-3 lead.