Miscues Lead to 14-7 Loss to Eastern Illinois Sunday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Five K-State errors contributed to 10 unearned Eastern Illinois runs Sunday, as the Panthers put together a 14-7 victory over the Wildcats in the series rubber game at Tointon Family Stadium.

K-State (6-4) held a 7-2 lead following a four-run fifth inning, only to see EIU (7-5) score the game's next 12 runs. The Panthers tallied seven runs in the seventh inning after the Cats committed two errors that led to six runs with two outs.

"I could talk for hours on it honestly. It's sloppy," said head coach Pete Hughes. "If you make five errors, you're not going to beat anybody. That's where the story begins and ends right there for us. Sloppy defense, extra baserunners, squandered another quality start from Connor McCullough.

"We play catch, we make routine plays, we win that game. It was an offensive day to begin with, with the conditions. You can't give them extra baserunners and extra outs and expect to beat anybody."

McCullough pitched into the sixth inning, not allowing an earned run on seven hits with six strikeouts. Eastern Illinois did score two unearned runs in the second inning before two more unearned in the sixth courtesy of two Wildcat errors.

"Going into the game, we knew there were strong winds blowing straight out, so I knew immediately that I'd have to keep the ball down," McCullough said. "That's what I tried to do. Kept them off balance pretty well with the off-speed, and it worked out pretty well. There weren't any home runs hit off of me, which was lucky on a day like this."

"He pitched well enough to get us a win," Hughes said of McCullough's outing. "No earned runs. He was getting a little tired at the end. He sat in that inning where we scored four runs, sat for an extended period of time. I thought that hurt him … Then we made two errors that extended the inning. He pitched well enough to earn a win."

K-State built a five-run lead behind home runs from Nick Goodwin, Zach Kokoska and Cameron Thompson.

Thompson and Kokoska launched back-to-back home runs to start the third, giving the Cats a 3-2 lead. It was the first time K-State hit back-to-back homers since April 19, 2019.

Goodwin's two-run home run in the fifth, along with an RBI triple from Kamron Willman, handed McCullough a 7-2 lead.

Eric Torres, who lifted McCullough with two outs in the sixth, gave up a Christian Pena home run to lead off the seventh. After two strikeouts, a walk and an error, Tyler Eckberg came into the game with two outs and two on.

Eastern Illinois strung tougher four consecutive hits off Eckberg, capped by a two-run home run from Trey Sweeney. Eckberg suffered his second loss of the season after allowing four runs (none earned) on four hits in a third of an inning.

Six of EIU's seven runs in the seventh inning were unearned and came with two outs, giving the Panthers an 11-7 edge at the seventh-inning stretch.

EIU tacked on three more runs in the eighth with a homer by Dane Toppel.

Terrence Spurlin and Thompson each tallied three hits to lead the Wildcat offense. Willman went 2-for-3 and registered his second triple of the series. Thompson and Willman each turned in a team-high five hits over the weekend.

Goodwin finished 2-for-5 with two RBI. Goodwin and Kokoska lead K-State with three homers apiece on the year.

Goodwin and Phillips both doubled in game. Phillips pushed his on-base streak to 21 games, a career long.

The Cats stranded 12 runners on base, a season high, and finished 1-for-15 (.067) with runners in scoring position.

Conversely, Eastern Illinois hit .412 (7-for-17) with runners in scoring position and .524 (11-for-21) with two outs.

EIU reliever Cameron Doherty was credited with the victory after throwing the game's final four frames and not yielding on a run on six hits.

K-State wraps up its eight-game homestand with a two-game midweek series with South Dakota State starting Tuesday. Both games are slated for a 6 p.m. start at Tointon Family Stadium, with tickets going on sale Monday. Both games will be broadcast on 12 Now on ESPN+ and News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with free, live audio at K-StateSports.com/watch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

K-State scored seven runs on 14 hits with five errors and 12 left on base.
Eastern Illinois scored 14 runs on 17 hits with no errors and nine left on base.
Thompson and Spurlin each had three hits to pace the K-State offense.
K-State had three homers and six extra-base hits in the game.
Goodwin, Kokoska and Thompson each homered for the Cats.
Thompson and Kokoska hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the third, the first time K-State went back-to-back since April 19, 2019.
Kokoska and Goodwin each have three homers on the year while Thompson has two.
Ceballos, Phillips and Willman all drove in a run for K-State.
K-State committed five errors, which allowed 10 unearned runs.
McCullough worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (0 earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts.
The Wildcats went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
EIU finished 7-for-17 (.412) with runners in scoring position and .524 (11-for-21) with two outs.

NOTES

K-State leads the all-time series with Eastern Illinois, 9-2.
Thompson made his 194^th consecutive start for the Wildcats, moving into a seventh-place tie with Blair DeBord.
Phillips, Thompson and Willman have reached base in all 10 games this year.
Phillips is on a 21-game on-base streak and Thompson is on a 15-game on-base streak dating back to last season.
Goodwin has hits in eight of 10 games this season.

Goodwin... Goodbye ⚾️

It's now 6-2 in favor of the 'Cats #KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/ThWGcQJAIg
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) March 7, 2021

'Cats go back-to-back solo 💣 from Thompson & Kokoska #KStateBSB 3 - Eastern Illinois 2 | End 3 pic.twitter.com/xoFvXFqPc3
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) March 7, 2021

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Team Stats

Cameron Thompson

Terrence Spurlin

Nick Goodwin

Kamron Willman

Players Mentioned

Tyler Eckberg

Nick Goodwin

Zach Kokoska

Connor McCullough

Terrence Spurlin

Cameron Thompson

Eric Torres

Kamron Willman

Players Mentioned

Tyler Eckberg

Nick Goodwin

Zach Kokoska

Connor McCullough

Terrence Spurlin

Cameron Thompson

Eric Torres

Kamron Willman

Kansas State University Athletics