Kansas State University Athletics
Cats Take Down No. 3 Texas Tech, 7-2
Apr 02, 2021 | Baseball
K-State (14-11, 1-4 Big 12) registered 13 hits Friday, with six going for extra bases, in snapping a five-game skid and ending the Red Raiders' (20-5, 3-2 Big 12) six-game winning streak. Phillips ended the night 3-for-4 with four runs batted in, including a two-run homer in the first inning.
Seymour logged 5 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out six and scattering seven hits. Tyler Eckberg tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up one hit to go with six strikeouts in earning his fourth save of the season.
"Begins and ends with starting pitching, good pitching and defense," head coach Pete Hughes said after the game. "Played clean baseball for the first time in a long time. We needed a quality start from Carson Seymour. He was awesome and then he passed the baton to Tyler Eckberg, and he was just as effective against one of the top offenses, if not the top offense in college baseball in my opinion.
"More importantly, just a tremendous character win for our program and our kids. It speaks volumes to our coaching staff and our kids and what we're all about as a program. Move on to the next game. Work hard. Don't panic. Stay with each other. Stay positive. Continue to work, and the game comes back to you."
Uselton, hitting in the No. 2 spot, lifted a first-inning homer to go with Phillips' sixth home run of the year, as the Wildcats plated three in the opening frame against TTU starter Patrick Monteverde. Entering Friday night, Monteverde had given up three earned runs over 36 innings pitched (0.75 ERA).
"I was excited about a freshman, Cam Uselton, he lifts the pressure out of our dugout," added Hughes. "We've been struggling for a little stretch here, and the freshman comes in and gets us feeling good right out of the gates with a home run, had a couple of walks and a sac bunt."
The Cats doubled their lead with a three-run third, getting an RBI single from Zach Kokoska and a two-run single from Phillips. Cameron Thompson sparked the inning with a leadoff double. Nick Goodwin also doubled in the inning as K-State recorded four hits off Monteverde in the third.
"Our big hitters had some big hits for us, which we need. Guys like Ceballos and Kokoska and Phillips, and Cam Thompson had a big hit," said Hughes. "Those guys have to be on their game for us to go as an offense."
Goodwin matched Phillips three hits to pace the K-State offense. Kokoska and Caleb Littlejim recorded two hits apiece, with Littlejim roping a sixth-inning double.
Kokoska improved his career-long on-base streak to 21 games.
Monteverde exited the contest after giving up six earned runs on eight hits in four innings. The Red Raiders starter suffered his first loss of the season.
After Tech scratched across two runs off Seymour in the fifth, Ceballos crushed a sixth-inning leadoff homer to push the Wildcats in front 7-2.
Ceballos' homer was his second of the year and 13th of his career.
Seymour earned his second win of the year and first since his second start of the campaign back on February 27 against Western Michigan. The 6-foot-6 right-hander was one out shy of carding his second straight quality start, as he has gone at least five innings with six or more strikeouts in each of his last three outings.
"He's gotten better every start," Hughes said of Seymour. "He's really grown the last three starts, but this was a really good one because we needed it. We needed it to get back in the series."
Seymour and Eckberg combined to limit TTU to 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 3-for-19 with runners on base.
The K-State offense finished 6-for-19 with men on base and 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
The Red Raiders were led by Easton Murrell and Dylan Neuse, who each doubled. No Red Raider turned in a multi-hit game. Cal Conley and Bradyon Runion each registered an RBI in the fifth.
The series rubber game is set for Saturday at 4 p.m., with streaming coverage on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage will be available on the News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) and live, free audio at K-StateSports.com/watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State scored seven runs on 13 hits with no errors and eight left on base.
- Texas Tech scored two runs on eight hits with one error and nine left on base.
- Uselton hit the first homer of his K-State career, a solo shot in the first.
- Phillips hit his sixth homer of the season and drove in four runs on the night.
- Seymour allowed two runs on seven hits with five walks and six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of work to improve to 2-2 on the season.
- K-State had six extra-base hits on the night.
- Goodwin and Phillips each had three hits to pace K-State offensively.
- Ceballos hit his second homer of the season.
- Kokoska and Littlejim also had multi-hit performances for the Cats.
- K-State went 1-for-7 with two outs, 6-for-19 with runners on and 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
- The Cats put the leadoff man on base in five out of eight innings.
- Eckberg picked up his fourth save of the year. He allowed just one hit with six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of relief.
- Monteverde dropped to 5-1 for Texas Tech after allowing six runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts in four innings of work.
- Friday was K-State's first win over a top-five team since defeating No. 4 South Carolina on February 23, 2017.
- It was K-State's largest margin of victory over a top-five team since April 10, 2015, a 14-4 win over No. 3 TCU.
- Texas Tech had saw its six-game win streak snapped. TTU had won 20 of its last 21 contests entering Friday.
- Kokoska extended his on-base streak to 21 games – a career-best stretch.
- Thompson made his 209th consecutive start for K-State and is now fifth all-time in career starts.
- K-State has 36 homers on the season.
- Texas Tech leads the all-time series, 46-29-1 (29-27-1 Big 12).
- The Cats hold an 18-17 advantage in games played in Manhattan.
Cats Win 😼#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/V3ILz6RUw9
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 3, 2021
Dudes posting their W's #KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/W3bA3JzKdC
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 3, 2021
Sitting Dead Red @ChrisCeballos20 goes 🚀#KStateBSB 7 - Texas Tech 2 | Bot 6 pic.twitter.com/d0RHQ6YF9J
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 3, 2021
Exckberg closes the 🚪 on the Red Raiders
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 3, 2021
Texas Tech leaves the bases loaded in the 6th #KStateBSB 6 - Texas Tech | Bot 6 pic.twitter.com/JvE8GiCfqb
Whammer delivers, again.
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 3, 2021
2-2, HR, 4 RBI on the night#KStateBSB 6 - Texas Tech 0 | Bot 4 pic.twitter.com/1VEaDdHr9k
Another inning ending strikeout for Carson Seymour #KStateBSB 3 - Texas Tech 0 | Bot 3 pic.twitter.com/mDukLm9GSD
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 2, 2021
First career home run for Cam is a big one #KStateBSB x @camuselton pic.twitter.com/CgTL4FH48F
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 2, 2021
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Seymour, Carson (2-2)
L: Patrick Monteverde (5-1)
S: Eckberg, Tyler (4)
Batting:
2B: Dylan Neuse 1 ; Easton Murrell 1
RBI: Cal Conley 1 ; Braydon Runion 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dylan Neuse 1 ; Cole Stilwell 1
SB: Dylan Neuse 1
HBP: Cole Stilwell 1
PO: Dylan Neuse 1

Batting:
2B: Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Littlejim, Caleb 1
HR: Uselton, Cameron 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Ceballos, Chris 1
RBI: Uselton, Cameron 1 ; Kokoska, Zach 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 4 ; Ceballos, Chris 1
SH: Uselton, Cameron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Uselton, Cameron 1 ; Kokoska, Zach 2 ; Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Ceballos, Chris 1
SB: Kokoska, Zach 1 ; Goodwin, Nick 1
CS: Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 1
HBP: Carinci, Daniel 1