Kansas State University
Oklahoma State University
Apr 08, 2017 | Baseball
GAME RECAP
10
4
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
16-13 (1-6 Big 12)
NR
OKLAHOMA STATE
COWBOYS
17-12 (1-6 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSU | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 2 |
| OSU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
- Time of Game: 3:50
- First Pitch: 6:36
- Temperature: 69 F
- Wind: S 10
- Attendance: 1,891
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? BOX SCORE
STILLWATER, Okla. – Kansas State finally broke through for its first conference win of the season Friday night at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, getting a grand slam from Jake Scudder and a career-best eight strikeouts from starter Justin Heskett in a 10-4 win over Oklahoma State.
"Just a great effort all the way around tonight from our guys," head coach Brad Hill said. "Tremendous patience at the plate and we were able to string together quality at-bats that us going early. That really helped the overall confidence and put us in a positive mindset the rest of the game after scoring those early runs."
K-State (16-13, 1-6 Big 12) scored six of its 10 runs in the first two innings, including Scudder's two-out grand slam in the second inning. The 10 runs scored by the Wildcats are their highest total in Stillwater since they scored 13 in 2001. The win snaps a seven-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak to OSU.
Scudder's slam – his second of the season – was the Cats' first hit of the second inning, as seven Oklahoma State (17-12, 1-6) pitchers combined to walk a season-high 11 hitters and hit four Wildcat batters. K-State loaded the bases in five separate innings and left 14 runners on base. Scudder ended the night with five runs driven in, a career-high in a Big 12 game.
Heskett posted his second consecutive quality start, going six innings and allowing three earned runs in picking up his third win of the campaign. The 6-4 junior righty fanned a career-high eight Cowboy hitters while walking none.
"Again, Heskett was outstanding tonight," added Hill. "I really loved how he competed tonight after battling a little bit in that first inning. Happy to see him follow up last week's start with another strong outing."
Heskett surrendered a run in the first after the first two OSU hitters he faced got aboard via a single and a double, respectively, but the junior-college transfer limited the damage to a sacrifice fly and would later set down 11 consecutive Cowboy hitters.
Freshman reliever Tyler Eckberg finished the final three innings, matching his career mark of five strikeouts and collected his second save of the season. Eckberg and Heskett combined for 13 strikeouts and no walks.
The K-State offense spotted Heskett with an early 2-0 lead after Will Brennan led off the game with a double to left field and, with the bases loaded, later scored on a deep sacrifice fly by Scudder that forced OSU left fielder Bryce Fischer to the wall, narrowly missing a second grand slam. Hanz Harker added another sac fly in the inning that handed Heskett a two-run lead before he took the mound.
Oklahoma State starter Jonathan Heasley lasted just the first inning after giving up a hit, two walks and two earned runs. Heasley took the loss to move his record to 2-3.
The game remained scoreless until the home half of the sixth, when Oklahoma State catcher Colin Simpson launched a two-run shot over the right-field fence off Heskett, cutting the Cats' lead to 6-3.
K-State quickly responded in the next half inning by drawing back-to-back bases-loaded walks by Brennan and Quintin Crandall before tacking on single runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings. Kyle Barfield singled through the left side in the eighth and Steve Serratore drew another bases-loaded walk in the ninth to complete the Wildcat scoring.
Brennan, Crandall and Serratore each had a pair of hits on the night while freshman Cameron Thompson drew four walks in the game – a season-high by any Wildcat hitter this season. Brennan extended his season-best hitting streak to six games.
The Wildcats and Cowboys continue their series Saturday at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on FOX Sports Oklahoma. 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
• K-State scored 10 runs on nine hits and committed two errors and left 14 runners on base. OSU scored four runs on 10 hits with one error while stranding seven baserunners.
• Brennan, Crandall and Serratore each had multi-hit games for K-State.
• Brennan extended his season-best hitting streak to six games.
• Scudder hit his second grand slam of the season and drove in a Big 12 career-high five RBI. Scudder is now tied for the conference lead in homers (6) and RBI (31).
• It was the first time this season K-State did not surrender a walk in a game.
• The Cats loaded the bases in the first, second, sixth, seventh and ninth innings and left a season-high 14 runners on base.
• OSU was 1-for-11 (.091) with two outs while K-State was 5-for-15 (.333).
• Each side hit .235 (4-for-17) with runners on base.
• OSU walked a season-high 11 hitters. Its previous high was six walks allowed entering Friday.
• The 11 walks drawn and four hit by pitches are each season highs for the Cats.
NOTES
• K-State is now 58-163 all-time vs. OSU and is 17-93 all-time on the road at Oklahoma State.
• The 10 runs scored are the most K-State has scored in Stillwater since a 13-8 victory in 2001.
• Dating back to 2015, K-State has now won the opening game in consecutive series in Stillwater for the first time in series history.
• K-State last won a road series against OSU in 2009 (2-0).
