Cats Take Twinbill from Abilene Christian Friday
Apr 29, 2017 | Baseball
GAME 1 // RECAP
5
6
NR
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
WILDCATS
12-27 (2-19 Southland)
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
22-20 (4-11 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACU | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| KSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | X | 6 | 4 | 2 |
- Time of Game: 3:04
- First Pitch: 2:35
- Temperature: 61 F
- Wind: WSW 4
- Attendance: --
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? HIGHLIGHTS
- ? BOX SCORE
GAME 2 // RECAP
1
11
NR
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
WILDCATS
12-28 (2-19 Southland)
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
23-20 (4-11 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| KSU | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 11 | 19 | 0 |
- Time of Game: 3:04
- First Pitch: 6:35
- Temperature: 50 F
- Wind: N 13
- Attendance: 1,730
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? HIGHLIGHTS
- ? BOX SCORE
MANHATTAN, Kan. – A come-from-behind 6-5 victory in game one followed by an 11-1 win in the nightcap completed K-State’s doubleheader sweep of Abilene Christian Friday at Tointon Family Stadium.
Josh Ethier laced a three-run triple in the seventh inning of the afternoon game of the day-night twin bill as part of five unanswered runs that wiped away a 4-1 deficit. Jordan Floyd gathered his team-best ninth save of the season to secure the 6-5 win. Floyd appeared in his 87th career game for the Wildcats, a new program record.
In game two, K-State (23-20) raced out to a 6-0 lead after the first inning behind Connor Rule’s career-high five RBI and Jake Scudder’s conference-best 13th home run. The Wildcats, behind Parker Rigler’s stellar start, completed the doubleheader sweep of Abilene Christian (12-28).
The series finale with ACU is set for Sunday at 1 p.m., at Tointon Family Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FOX College Sports Atlantic and K-StateHD.TV. Fans can also listen to Sunday’s contest on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM and streaming free at k-statesports.com.
GAME 1: K-STATE 6, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 5
Josh Ethier’s bases-clearing triple in the right-center field gap completed the comeback and gave the Wildcats the series-opening victory, 6-5, over Abilene Christian on Friday at Tointon Family Stadium.
K-State left the bases loaded twice in the first four innings before capitalizing on their third bases-loaded chance of the game in the seventh when Ethier’s triple gave the Wildcats the lead. The Wildcats ended the game with 12 runners left on base.
Abilene Christian combined to walk 15 of K-State’s hitters and threw just 97 strikes on 207 pitches. ACU was 3-for-13 (.231) with runners in scoring position and stranded nine baserunners in the game.
Abilene Christian jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning behind two-out doubles by Anthony Dominguez and Dalon Farkas to go along with a pair of two-out walks issued by K-State starter Justin Heskett.
Kyle Barfield launched a solo shot – his second of the season – to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut ACU’s lead to 3-1.
ACU extended its lead in the top of the sixth inning after Cole Solomon’s sacrifice fly plated Farkas, but K-State scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch and a Quintin Crandall bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 4-3.
ACU starter Austin Lambright pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, 10 walks and three earned runs while striking out four K-State hitters.
Heskett (5-2) struck out two batters in seven innings for K-State and allowed seven hits, two walks and four earned runs.
K-State loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh before Ethier, who extended his career-long hitting streak to five games, tripled to right-center field, scoring all three baserunners and giving the Wildcats a 6-4 lead.
Jonah Smith (1-3) lasted just 1/3 of an inning for ACU, walking three and allowing two earned runs. He was relieved by Brandon Lambright who pitched two innings, struck out five, walked two and allowed one earned run.
Hudson Treu came on in the eighth for K-State and pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit before Jordan Floyd came in and recorded the final out, picking up his ninth save of the season.
Floyd’s appearance was the 87th appearance of his career and set the record most appearances in K-State history.
GAME 2: K-STATE 11, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 1
Jake Scudder launched his Big 12-leading 13th home run of the season as part of a six-run first inning that propelled K-State to an 11-1 victory over Abilene Christian in the nightcap of the day-night doubleheader Friday at Tointon Family Stadium
K-State equaled its season high with 19 hits to back starter Parker Rigler’s six shutout innings and claimed the doubleheader sweep of ACU. Rigler was credited with the win, as the senior southpaw scattered five hits and a walk over his six innings of work, striking out five. Rigler earns a win in back-to-back starts for the second time this season, equaling his 2016 output.
Seven Wildcats registered multi-hit nights – led by Scudder and Hanz Harker each with three. Scudder drove in three runs while Connor Rule drove in a career-high five.
Abilene Christian starter Zach Kornely was unable to make it out of the first innings, as the Cats tagged Kornely for six earned runs in his 2/3 of an inning.
Will Brennan led off the game with a double and the next hitter, Crandall, singled him home before Scudder’s homer two batters later. Scudder’s 13 homers are the most in a season since Carter Jurica posted 13 in 2010, and equal the high mark for a season in the Brad Hill era.
Later in the first, Rule drove a two-run, two-out single to right center and later scored off Brennan’s second hit in the inning. In total, the Cats had six runs on six hits and brought 11 men to the plate in the opening frame.
K-State extended its lead to 10-0 after tacking on four more in the home half of the fourth. In the inning, the first three Wildcat hitters reached base with Scudder recording an RBI single and Rule adding a two-RBI double.
ACU ended K-State’s bid for a shutout in the seventh inning by way of an RBI groundout by Mark Pearson that scored Koby Claborn off reliever Caleb Littlejim.
Three Wildcat relievers combined to pitch the final three innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and striking out four.
Ten Wildcat hitters registered a base hit in the nightcap, and every starter reached base. K-State hit .464 (13-for-28) with runners on base and went 7-for-14 (.500) with two outs.
K-State concludes the three-game non-conference series with ACU on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FOX College Sports Atlantic and K-StateHD.TV. Fans can also listen to Sunday’s contest on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM and streaming free at k-statesports.com.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• K-State scored six runs on four hits and committed two errors and left 12 runners on base in game one while scoring 11 runs on 19 hits and no errors while leaving nine on in game two.
• Abilene Christian scored five runs on nine hits with no errors and left nine runners on base in game one and scored one on eight hits without an error and stranding eight baserunners in game two.
• Jordan Floyd set K-State’s career record with his 87th career appearance in game one.
• K-State’s four hits equals its season low in a winning effort on the season.
• Ethier had the only multi-hit game in game one while seven Wildcats had multiple-hit efforts in the nightcap
• Scudder’s 13 home runs not only lead the Big 12 but are tied for fourth most in a single season in K-State history and the most since 2010 (Carter Jurica, 13).
• The 13 homers tie the most in a single season by a player in the Brad Hill era.
• Scudder, who drove in three, posted his 13th multi-RBI game of the season. No other Wildcat has more than nine.
• Rule’s five RBI are a career high.
• In game one, K-State hit .167 (2-for-12) and ACU hit .231 (3-for-13) with runners in scoring position. In game two, K-State went 7-for-18 (.389) and ACU 0-for-9 (.000) in the same situation.
• Each side got its leadoff man aboard in three innings in the first game, while K-State got its leadoff hitter on seven times in game two with ACU reaching him three times.
NOTES
• K-State is now 3-1 all-time vs. Abilene Christian.
• This was the first meeting between the teams since 1966 and first meeting ever in Manhattan.
• Scudder’s 13 home runs not only lead the Big 12 but are tied for fourth most in a single season in K-State history and the most since 2010 (Carter Jurica, 13).
• The 13 homers tie the most in a single season by a player in the Brad Hill era.
• K-State has now posted double-digit runs in 10 games this season (9-1).
• K-State is now 9-4 in one-run games (3-10 in 2016) after game one’s 6-5 win.
• The Cats now have six wins when tied or trailing after six innings (1-27 when tied/trailing after six last season).
