Kansas State University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
University of Kansas
May 12, 2017 | Baseball
GAME RECAP
4
5
NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
26-23 (5-14 Big 12)
NR
KANSAS
JAYHAWKS
28-22 (10-9 Big 12)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSU | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| KU | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 8 | 1 |
- Time of Game: 3:00
- First Pitch: 6:05
- Temperature: 73 F
- Wind: NE 7
- Attendance: 2,020
- ? GAMECENTER
- ? BOX SCORE
LAWRENCE, Kan. - In a tie game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Kansas' Rudy Karre laced an RBI double for the game's winning run that handed the Jayhawks a 5-4 win over Kansas State in the series opener of the Sunflower Showdown Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark.
K-State (26-23, 5-14 Big 12) scored first off Josh Rolette's solo homer in the second and held the lead three separate times in the game. In every inning K-State scored, Kansas (28-22, 10-9) responded in the bottom half, including tying the game in the fourth and sixth innings before taking its final lead in the eighth.
Karre finished the night 2-for-4 with a double, home run and three runs driven in while the Jayhawk bullpen held the Wildcats hitless over the final three innings.
Rolette gave the Cats a 1-0 lead with his seventh homer of the year, clearing the 400-foot sign in left-center field. The sophomore catcher's seven bombs eclipse his season total from a year ago.
Wildcats starter Justin Heskett, after retiring the first batter he saw in the second, surrendered three straight walks to load the bases. Karre hit a sacrifice fly to score David Kyriacou to tie the game before the next batter, James Cosentino, singled up the middle to give the Jayhawks a 2-1, but Heskett escaped any further damage.
In the third, Jake Wodtke and Josh Ethier led off the inning with back-to-back singles and after Will Brennan's sacrifice bunt and Cameron Thompson's walk, the bases were loaded. But the Cats were unable to scrape across the tying run.
K-State loaded the bases again in the fourth, but this time plated a pair of runs to regain the lead. Steve Serratore started the inning with a leadoff walk, the first of three free passes issued by KU starter Jackson Goddard in the inning, before Hanz Harker singled and Wodtke walked to load the bags with one out. Ethier reached on a fielder's choice that brought home Serratore and Brennan followed with a single to left field that made the score 3-2.
KU immediately replied in the bottom of the inning when Karre hit a solo homer to left to tie the game, 3-3. The homer was Karre's third of the season.
Wodtke got his second single of the game in the sixth inning and later advanced to second on Ethier's groundout. Brennan then struck out swinging but reached on a wild pitch and a throwing error from KU catcher Jaxx Groshans allowed Wodtke to score for the Cats' third lead of the game.
The lead, however, would be short-lived as KU third baseman Benjamin Sems began the home half with a double to right center and scored a batter later when Owen Taylor singled, ending the day for Heskett. Reliever Bryce Ward retired the next two Jayhawks he faced and Rolette threw out Cosentino trying to steal second to keep the score level.
Heskett pitched five-plus innings and struck out three, yielding four runs on seven hits but did not factor into the decision.
Ward retired the first six Jayhawk hitters he saw until he walked Kyriacou with one out in the eighth. Sems laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Kyriacou to second, where he stood when Karre roped his game-winning double.
Ward (1-3) finished the night with three innings pitched and allowed one run on one hit in taking the loss.
KU closer Stephen Villines pitched a perfect ninth inning in collecting his 13th save of the season. Reliever Blake Weiman (4-1) got the win after striking out six over 2 2/3 innings without allowing a hit. Weiman and Villines combined to throw 3 1/3 innings, striking out eight and giving up one walk and no hits.
Wodtke was the only Wildcat to register more than one base hit in the game, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Rolette's home run was the only extra-base hit for K-State.
K-State and Kansas continue the three-game set Saturday, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. Game two of the Sunflower Showdown will stream live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Fans can also listen on the K-State Radio Network and streaming free at k-statesports.com.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• K-State scored four runs on six hits and committed no errors and left nine runners on base. Kansas scored five runs on eight hits with one error and stranded seven baserunners.
• Wodtke had K-State's only multi-hit game, going 2-for-3.
• Rolette hit his seventh home run of the season, a new career high for the sophomore catcher.
• K-State went 0-for-3 with the bases loaded and were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
• Each side had two two-out RBI.
• The Cats hit .182 (2-for-11) with two outs while KU hit .300 (3-for-10).
• KU's Rude Karre went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBI.
NOTES
• K-State is now 177-168-1 all-time against Kansas and 37-23 in Big 12 play.
• The loss snapped a two-game winning streak against KU, dating back to last season.
• K-State dropped to 10-5 in one-run games.
• Three Wildcats have on-base streaks of 12 games or more – Brennan, Serratore (15) and Crandall (12).
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
