Baseball Wins Fifth Straight, 10-3

BEAUMONT, Texas – Kansas State erupted for a season-high 18 hits, including 15 from its one-through-five hitters, and Brad Hutt won his third straight game as the Wildcats opened the Lamar Classic with a 10-3 win over St. John’s Friday at Vincent Beck Stadium. With the win, Kansas State improved to 8-1 on the season, won its fifth straight game and moved to 7-0 this season when playing on a neutral field.

K-State got a big day from the top half of its batting order as Byron Wiley had four hits, Derek Bunker and Adam Muenster each with three and Jordan Cruz and Tyler Link each added two. Muenster led the way with three runs driven in while Eli Rumler also had three hits and three RBI from the seven-hole spot.

Brad Hutt moved to 3-0 on the season with yet another solid outing as the junior tossed 7.0 innings and scattered three runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Sophomore Todd Vogel scattered two hits over the final 2.0 innings to close out the win.

K-State struck first as Derek Bunker led off the game with a bunt single and moved to second on a Jordan Cruz sacrifice bunt. Adam Muenster then doubled off the wall in left to plate the game’s first run, while Byron Wiley followed with a sharp single to right, moving Muenster to third. After a Tyler Link strikeout and a Brett Scott walk, Eli Rumler came through with a two-strike, two-out single to left to score Muenster and Wiley.

Hutt pitched out of a jam in the bottom half of the first and the Cats then added two more runs in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Bunker singled to center with one out and Cruz followed with a bouncer through the right side. Then, Muenster delivered another double to left to plate both runners for a 5-0 Wildcat lead.

St. John’s chipped away at the 5-0 score with a run in each of the third and fourth innings to close the gap at 5-2. K-State had a golden opportunity to add to its lead in the fifth when it had the bases loaded with one out, but Nate Tenbrink’s sharp grounder to second turned into an inning-ending double play.

But, the Wildcats answered with a strong sixth inning as Cruz’s one-out double just inside the first base bag plated Bunker from second, who had reached on an error. Muenster then walked and Wiley recorded his fourth hit of the game with a single through the left side to score Cruz and give the Cats a 7-2 lead. Eddie Vasquez then drove in the eighth run of the game for K-State on a fielder’s choice that forced out Link at second.

Justin Bloxom and Rumler added run-scoring singles in the eighth to up the lead to 10-3.

Kansas State continues play in the Lamar Classic Saturday with a 2 p.m. game against the home-standing Cardinals.

– k-statesports.com –