No. 21 WVU Mounts Late Comeback vs. K-State Friday
Apr 22, 2017 | Baseball
GAME RECAP
9
7
21
WEST VIRGINIA
MOUNTAINEERS
23-13 (9-4 Big 12)
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
19-19 (2-11 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WVU | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
| KSU | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 2 |
- Time of Game: 3:03
- First Pitch: 6:38
- Temperature: 54 F
- Wind: NNE 13
- Attendance: 1,809
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? HIGHLIGHTS
- ? BOX SCORE
MANHATTAN, Kan. – West Virginia became the first team this season to defeat Kansas State when it led after seven innings, as a four-run eighth inning gave the No. 21 Mountaineers a 9-7 come-from-behind victory Friday night at Tointon Family Stadium.
K-State (19-19, 2-11 Big 12) took a 7-5 lead with three runs in the seventh courtesy of Trent McMaster’s pinch-hit RBI single, Josh Rolette’s RBI ground-rule double and Hanz Harker’s sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats saw their lead quickly evaporate after the Mountaineers (23-13, 9-4) plated a four-spot in the next half inning off four hits and four stolen bases. K-State entered the game with a 13-0 record when leading after seven innings.
Each side held a lead at three different times on the night and the Wildcat offense produced 13 hits, their most in a month and the most in a losing effort this season.
“It wasn’t just the eighth inning,” said head coach Brad Hill after the game. “It was sloppy, giving free bases all night. That’s frustrating. It was probably one of our better nights offensively. Tonight, we hit it pretty well, did a good job. We just couldn’t close out the game.
“That’s too good of a ball club to not make them earn those extra bases.”
The Cats committed two errors and two passed ball that helped lead to three unearned West Virginia runs.
K-State took a one-run lead in the second inning with an infield single by Josh Ethier to score Rolette who earlier doubled.
The Mountaineers scraped across two unearned runs in the third off K-State starter Justin Heskett, who finished the night yielding five runs (two earned) on eight hits, striking out two in six innings of work.
In the home third, Steve Serratore reclaimed the Wildcat lead with a two-run single that scored Cameron Thompson and Quintin Crandall. Serratore, playing in his first game in 12 days due to a leg injury, went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Will Brennan and Crandall recorded back-to-back doubles down the left-field line that made the score 4-2 through four innings.
West Virginia tied the game in the top of the fifth with two runs on three hits and a K-State error before taking the lead in the top of the seventh as Brandon White scored when catcher Ivan Gonzalez grounded into a double play off reliever Hudson Treu.
Following K-State’s three-run seventh, West Virginia combined to get four runs off Treu and Tyler Eckberg in the eighth. Eckberg was tagged for his first loss of the season after he surrendered two runs in 2/3 of an inning.
Four Wildcats – Crandall, Thompson, Serratore and Rolette – had multi-hit games while six collected an RBI in the game.
K-State continues its three-game set with West Virginia Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium. Game two is slated for a 4 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. The entire series can be heard on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM and streaming free at k-statesports.com.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• K-State scored seven runs on 13 hits and committed two errors and left eight runners on base. West Virginia scored nine runs on 13 hits without an error and stranded five baserunners.
• Four Wildcats had multiple-hit nights: Crandall, Thompson, Serratore and Rolette.
• Heskett recorded his fourth straight quality start (6.0 IP, 2 ER) and fifth in his last six games.
• K-State’s 13 hits are its most this season in a losing effort.
• Each side hit over .300 with two outs: K-State at .385 and WVU at .308.
• The Wildcats only got their leadoff man on in one inning while the Mountaineers did so four times.
• K-State hit .417 (5-for-12) with runners in scoring position while WVU hit .273 (3-for-11).
• Four Wildcat pitchers combined to walk just one Mountaineer hitter.
NOTES
• K-State is now 5-8 all-time vs. WVU and is now 3-4 at home.
• WVU has now won the last two games in the series.
• Head coach Brad Hill is one win from breaking Mike Clark’s program record of 435 victories as the Wildcat skipper.
• K-State is 2-11 in conference play for the first time since 2004 – Brad Hill’s first season as K-State head coach. That year the Cats began Big 12 play 2-15.
