K-State Again Falls to #23 Oklahoma State, 11-1
Apr 05, 2003 | Baseball
April 5, 2003
Stillwater, Okla. - Oklahoma State jumped out to 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning then added four runs in fourth and three more in the fifth, as the 23rd-ranked Cowboys extended Kansas State's losing streak to 10 games with an 11-1 victory on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 1,501 at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
With the win, Oklahoma State improved to 20-9 on the season and 6-2 in Big 12 Conference play, while Kansas State fell to 10-18 overall and 0-8 in league play with the loss. The 10-game losing streak is the longest since dropping 11 in a row in 1997, while the eight-game skid to start league play is the worst since earning 15 straight losses to begin Big Eight play in 1986.
The win enables Oklahoma State to take the season series for the third consecutive season. The Wildcats have not taken a road series from the Cowboys since March 29-30, 1971 and fall to 3-30 under Mike Clark in Stillwater.
After Kansas State squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the top of the first inning, Oklahoma State came through with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame. Freshman shortstop Chris Gutierrez led off the inning with a single off the glove of first baseman Tim Doty then moved to third on a double to the gap in right-center field by senior outfielder Jose Virgil. With runners on second and third and no outs, sophomore third baseman Josh Fields plated Gutierrez for the first run with a RBI single to shallow right field. Junior first baseman John Urick followed with a ground out to score Virgil from before junior designated hitter Mario Matalich laced a single to right field to score Fields for the third run.
After a scoreless second inning, Kansas State finally got on the board in the third inning. Senior second baseman Brandon Taylor reached base on a one-out error by the shortstop then moved to second on a single over the glove of the second baseman in right field by junior third baseman Ty Soto. The Wildcats gambled with a double steal by Taylor and Soto to prevent the double play. Senior outfielder Pat Maloney plated the Wildcats' first run by reaching base on an error by the first baseman.
Leading 3-1, Oklahoma State got some clutch two-out hits in the fourth inning to score four runs on three hits and an error. After the Wildcats turned a double play to eliminate the first two batters, Gutierrez earned a single to right-center then moved to third base on Virgil's second double of the game to left-center field. Gutierrez scored on the next at-bat, as Fields reached base on an error by third baseman Ty Soto. With runners on first and third, Urick made it 7-1 with a three-run home run over the fence in left field.
The Cowboys added three more runs in the fifth inning on two hits and two walks to extend the lead to 10-1. Virgil had a RBI single, while Gutierrez picked up another RBI on a fielder's choice and Urick collected his fifth RBI by being hit by a pitch.
OSU added its 11th and final run in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Virgil scored his third run of the game from second base on a single by Fields up the middle.
Gutierrez, Virgil and Fields each had three hits each to pace O-State offensively, while Urick had a team-best five RBIs on 1-for-3 hitting,
Soto was the only Wildcat with more than one hit, as he went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Taylor added a run scored on a 1-for-5 effort.
Junior left-handed pitcher Spencer Grogan evened his season record to 3-3 on the season in collecting the win for Oklahoma State, as he allowed just one unearned run on six hits in seven innings pitched with four strikeouts and three walks.
Junior left-handed pitcher Sean Clancy dropped to 1-3 on the season in taking the loss for Kansas State, as he allowed five earned runs (nine total) on 10 hits in 4-1/3 innings pitched with four walks and no strikeouts.
Kansas State concludes its three-game series with Oklahoma State on Sunday with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Reynolds Stadium.
