Late Run Salvages Doubleheader Split with UC Riverside Friday
Mar 10, 2017 | Baseball
GAME 1
5
1
NR
UC-RIVERSIDE
HIGHLANDERS
9-4 (0-0 Big West)
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
11-3 (0-0 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| KSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
- Time of Game: 2:35
- First Pitch: 1:01
- Temperature: 38 F
- Wind: ENE 11
- Attendance: 1,462
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? HIGHLIGHTS
- ? BOX SCORE
GAME 2
0
1
NR
UC-RIVERSIDE
HIGHLANDERS
9-5 (0-0 Big West)
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
12-3 (0-0 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| KSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 1 | 4 | 0 |
- Time of Game: 2:11
- First Pitch: 4:15
- Temperature: 39 F
- Wind: ENE 13
- Attendance: 1,462
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? HIGHLIGHTS
- ? BOX SCORE
MANHATTAN, Kan. - An eighth-inning run to break a scoreless tie earned the Kansas State baseball team a doubleheader split with UC Riverside Friday at Tointon Family Stadium.
K-State (12-3) defeated UC Riverside (9-5) in the second game of the twin bill, 1-0, after Cameron Thompson doubled home Kyle Barfield in the bottom of the eighth to give the Wildcats a bounce-back victory after dropping the day’s first game, 5-1.
“They have a good club, they have some real quality arms,” head coach Brad Hill said after the game. “Credit to our guys coming back in the second game, we found a way to scratch a run across and (Brogan) Heinen, (Mitch) Zubradt and (Jordan) Floyd put up zeros.”
The game one loss snapped the Cats’ seven-game winning streak but their 1-0 win in game two was their sixth one-run victory of the season (6-0) and third shutout of the season.
GAME 1: UC RIVERSIDE 5, K-STATE 1
After scoring a combined 76 runs in its previous five home games (15.2 per game), K-State’s offense was held to one run on five hits by UC Riverside Friday.
Four Highlander pitchers combined stifle K-State hitters as Grant Reuben recorded the only extra-base hit for the Cats – a double in the second inning. K-State matched its season high with 10 men left on base.
UCR starter Daniel Martinez picked up the win after going five innings and striking out four and his bullpen allowed just one run on one hit in the final four innings.
UC Riverside scored two runs in the top of the fourth when designated hitter Connor Cannon launched a two-run home run over the left-field wall.
K-State cut UCR’s lead in half in the home half of the sixth when Josh Ethier dropped a single into left-center field that scored Quintin Crandall from second base.
The score remained 2-1 until the top of the ninth when UC Riverside shortstop Colby Schultz hit a two-run double down the right-field line. After a sacrifice fly that scored Schultz, the Highlanders owned a 5-1 advantage.
K-State starting pitcher Justin Heskett went 5 2/3 innings, allowed two earned runs on five hits and struck out five in the loss.
Will Brennan and Reuben each had two hits in the game.
GAME 2: K-STATE 1, UC RIVERSIDE 0
K-State and UC Riverside had combined for four hits and zero runs headed into the bottom of the eighth inning in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader
Leading off the home half of eighth, Kyle Barfield fell behind in the count 1-2 against UCR starter Hazahel Quijada but battled the count full. After a nine-pitch at-bat, Barfield doubled to the gap in right center and quickly found himself on third base after a sacrifice bunt by Ethier.
On the first pitch he saw, center fielder Cameron Thompson laced a double down the left-field line to score Barfield for the Wildcats’ first lead of the day.
Senior closer Jordan Floyd entered the game in the ninth and picked up his Big 12-leading fifth save of the year.
“He fouled off about three (elevated fast balls),” Hill said of Barfield’s at-bat. “Finally, he got a ball down he could hammer and got it into right center and then great execution with the bunt and Cam (Thompson) gets the big hit.”
K-State starter Brogan Heinen tossed six shutout innings while striking out five Highlanders and only giving up a pair of hits – none for extra bases. It was Heinen’s first quality start of the campaign.
“Much better,” added Hill on Heinen’s performance. “You could just see he was more confident today and the ball was down in the zone and had more life on it; much more command than the previous two outings, great bounce-back for him.”
Sophomore righty Mitch Zubradt added two innings of hitless relief and was credited with the win, moving him to 2-0 on the season.
Senior first baseman Jake Scudder finished 2-for-3 with a double. Scudder had two of the Cats’ three hits off UCR starter Hazahel Quijada, who pitched into the eighth inning and struck out 10 Wildcat batters.
The rubber match of the series between K-State and UC Riverside will be Sunday, March 12 at 1 p.m., at Tointon Family Stadium. The game will be broadcast worldwide on K-StateHD.TV with Matt Walters and Blair DeBord calling the action. Fans can also listen to K-State baseball on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM and streaming free at k-statesports.com.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 1)
• K-State scored one run on five hits and committed no errors and left 10 runners on base. UC Riverside scored five runs on eight hits and committed one error while stranding eight baserunners.
• The teams combined to go 2-for 14 (.143) with runners in scoring position in the game.
• UC Riverside got its leadoff batter on base in five of the nine innings while K-State only did so twice.
• K-State was 3-for-11 (.273) with two outs while UCR went 1-for-10 (.100).
• Will Brennan stole his first two bases of the season on two attempts.
• Brennan, Reuben and Ethier combined for all five Wildcat hits.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (GAME 2)
• K-State scored one run on four hits and committed no errors and left five runners on base. UC Riverside scored no runs on three hits and committed no errors while stranding six baserunners.
• K-State equaled its season low in runs (1) and set a new season low in hits (4).
• It was the third shutout thrown by K-State this season, one more than all of 2016.
• It was the Cats’ first 1-0 victory since the 2016 season opener at UC Riverside on Feb. 19.
• Three of K-State’s four hits were doubles.
• K-State pitchers did not allow UC Riverside to get its leadoff hitter on base in any inning in the game while the Cats got their leadoff batter on in three innings.
• UC Riverside had only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position (0-1).
• Scudder finished with two of K-State’s four hits. Thompson and Barfield had the others, both in the eighth inning.
NOTES
• UC Riverside now leads the all-time series, 3-2
• K-State is now 6-0 in one-run games this season (3-10 in 2016).
• The Wildcats are 4-2 this season when tied or trailing after seven innings. In 2016, K-State was 2-26 in those games.
• Last season, K-State combined to throw two shutouts and now have three in 2017.
• It was K-State’s first 1-0 victory since the 2016 season opener on Feb. 19 at UC Riverside.
• Head coach Brad Hill now has 428 career victories as the Wildcat skipper. He needs just eight more to become the winningest all-time coach in K-State history.
