K-State Rallies Past Seton Hall, 8-7
Mar 14, 2003 | Baseball
March 14, 2003
Homestead, Fla. - Junior third baseman Ty Soto's two-out, RBI single to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning capped a six-run rally for Kansas State, as the Wildcats came from five runs down to defeat Seton Hall by a score of 8-7 on Friday afternoon at the Papa John's Challenge held at the Homestead Sports Complex. The game was called after the eighth inning due to travel considerations.
With the win, Kansas State improved to 7-6 on the season, while Seton Hall fell to 4-6 overall with the loss. The two teams played just 10 hours earlier on Thursday evening with the Pirates taking a slugfest by a score of 11-8.
Kansas State, which trailed by as much as 6-1 in the game, scored seven of the game's last eight runs, including a combined six runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The Wildcats, however, had numerous opportunities in the contests, stranding a near season-high 12 runners.
Seton Hall wasted no time getting to Wildcat starter Kevin Melcher, as the Pirates scored three unearned runs on three hits and an error in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. After second baseman Josh Schuck reached base on a hit-by-pitch with one out, designated hitter Casey Grimm followed a strikeout with single to left field, while outfielder Mike Bascom loaded the bases by reaching on an error by Wildcat third baseman Ty Soto. First baseman Tim Pahuta then cleared the bases with double to left-center field.
Kansas State closed the gap to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning, as junior outfielder Brad Anzman scored from third base on senior designated hitter Ryan Baldwin's fielder's choice. Anzman led off the inning by being hit by a pitch then moved to third on Soto's single to center field and senior first baseman Tim Doty's single to left field.
However, the Pirates erupted for three more runs in the top of the second inning off Melcher to push their advantage to 6-1. The team got a single and a stolen base each from outfielder Matt Cuttruff and Schuck on back-to-back at-bats before Grimm connected on a two-run home run.
With the change to freshman right-handed pitcher Allan Woodward quieting the Pirate bats, Kansas State slowly chipped away at the lead. The Wildcats cut the advantage to 6-2 in the third inning, as senior outfielder Gabe Luttrell scored from third base on Maloney's two-out single to right field. Luttrell led off the inning with a stand-up triple to left-center field, but had to wait through a walk and two pop-ups to score.
The score remained the same until sixth inning when Kansas State tied the score at 6-all with four runs on four hits. Junior catcher Josh Heinrich led off the inning with a walk on four pitches followed by back-to-back singles from junior shortstop Marc Chabot and Anzman. With the bases loaded, Luttrell laced a single past the shortstop to score Heinrich and Chabot. After a walk to Soto that again loaded the bases with no outs, new pitcher Mike Santmyer got the Pirates closer to ending the inning with a strikeout and a fielder's choice. Maloney, however, tied the game with his second double to right-center that scored Luttrell from third base.
In the seventh inning, Kansas State scored the go-ahead runs on three hits. Heinrich led off with a single through the hole in second base, then after a pair of outs, he scored from second base on Luttrell's single to center field. After a pitching change, Luttrell moved into scoring position on a stolen base before Soto's single allowed him to score.
Seton Hall closed to within 8-7 in the eight inning, as pinch hitter Patrick Sullivan scored from third base on Cuttruff's sacrifice fly to center field. However, Wildcat closer Eric Rollins struck out Schuck for the final out and his second save.
Luttrell paced the Wildcat attack with his 3-for-5 performance with a team-high three RBIs and three runs scored. Maloney went 3-for-4 from the plate with two RBIs and two doubles, while Heinrich and Anzman each added two hits and two runs scored.
Grimm's 2-for-2 performance paced the Seton Hall attack with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Pahuta made the most of his 1-for-4 afternoon with a team-high three RBIs. Schuck and and Cohen also added two hits each.
Junior left-handed pitcher Sean Clancy picked up the win for Kansas State in relief, as he allowed one unearned run on two hits in one inning with one strikeout. Clancy's stint came after a stellar relief performance from Woodward, who allowed just one hit in three shutout innings off relief of Melcher with two strikeouts and two walks.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Mike Santmyer was tagged with the loss for Seton Hall in relief, as he allowed two runs on three hits in 1-2/3 innings pitched with one strikeout. Starter Elvys Quezada allowed six runs on 11 hits in five innings with four strikeouts and four walks.
Kansas State continues play at the Papa John's Homestead Challenge on Saturday, as the Wildcats play Stony Brook at the Homestead Sports Complex beginning at 6 p.m. CST.
