MANHATTAN, Kan. Nebraska scored a run in four of the first five innings and held off a late Kansas State rally as the No. 3 Huskers evened the series with the Wildcats after a 5-4 win Saturday before a record crowd of 3,139 at Tointon Stadium. With the loss, Kansas State fell to 20-4 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play, while Nebraska improved to 19-5 and 3-2.
Down 5-2 in the eighth, Kansas State battled back to within one as Brandon Farr singled up the middle with one out to chase Nebraska starter Tony Watson. Closer Brett Jensen came in to strikeout Jared Goedert for the second out before Cris Tapia belted a two-run homer to right center to bring the Cats to within one at 5-4. Joe Roundy grounded out to end the inning and Jensen retired the Wildcats in order in the ninth to earn his fifth save.
Watson moved to 5-0 on the season after holding the Wildcats to three runs on eight hits over 7.1 innings, while Kansas State’s Adam Cowart (4-2) suffered the loss after giving up five runs on 10 hits over 8.0 innings. Cowart settled in and held the Huskers to just four hits after the fourth inning to keep the Cats in the game.
Nebraska jumped out on the board with one run on three hits in the first but an inning-ending double play from Cowart got the Wildcats out of the jam down just one. The, the Wildcats answered as Brandon Farr single and moved to second on a balk. Jared Goedert then drove in Farr with a double off the base of the wall in center to tie the game at one.
The Huskers then scratched out one run in each of the next three innings to take a 4-1 lead into the fourth. Then, in the fourth, the Wildcats pushed across another run to close within 4-2 as Barrett Rice led off with a double and scored on an Eli Rumler single. But, with runners on first and second with one out, Tyler Link’s chopper to third was turned into a five-unassisted double play to end the threat.
Farr and Brett Scott led the Wildcats with two hits each, while Tapia led the way with two runs driven in on his homer in the eighth.
Kansas State and Nebraska wrap up the series Sunday at Tointon Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
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