Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, April 25
Manhattan, KS
1 p.m.
Kansas State University
23-16, 6-9
9
vs
4
West Virginia
15-18, 6-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
West Virginia
1
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
4
7
1
K-State
1
0
0
2
0
2
2
2
X
9
13
1
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Four Homers Back Ford in K-State’s Series Win Over WVU
Apr 25, 2021 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State offense mashed four home runs and Kasey Ford logged 6 1/3 innings in relief as the Wildcats claimed the series' rubber match over West Virginia Sunday, 9-4, at Tointon Family Stadium.
Ford entered the game with K-State (23-16, 5-9 Big 12) trailing 3-1 with two runners in scoring position and two outs in the third. The senior induced an inning-ending ground ball and went on to retire the first four hitters he faced in not allowing a base hit until the sixth inning.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander finished off the series-clinching victory by retiring 11 of the last 12 WVU hitters he saw. Ford scattered just three hits in his season-long effort, striking out two and walking two with one unearned run against him.
"Great series win. That's our goal," said head coach Pete Hughes. "We all came here to win series in the Big 12. We're back in the race and back in the hunt. Took advantage of our homestand which was critical in getting back into the Big 12 standings. Great team win really, up and down the lineup.
"For me, the storyline of the day was Kasey Ford coming in and just being ready to execute and perform. The kid's been ready every single day for three years I've coached him. He'll take any role you throw at him. The only thing he cares about is the purple and white winning baseball games."
Ford lifted starter Carson Seymour after Seymour surrendered three earned runs on four hits while walking four. Seymour struck out five over his 2 2/3 innings.
West Virginia (15-18, 6-9 Big 12) held a one-run lead at three different points in the series finale. Nick Goodwin and Kamron Willman each hit game-tying home runs before Willman and Dylan Caplinger recorded back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth with two outs to hand the Wildcats a 5-4 lead.
A two-run home run by Dylan Phillips in the seventh preceded a two-run bomb by Caplinger in the eighth, helping cap six unanswered runs over K-State's final three innings at the plate.
Willman's two-out, two-run homer in the fourth tied the game at 3-3. The redshirt junior infielder ended the day 2-for-4 with three RBI – all coming with two outs.
"He gives us some balance," Hughes said of Willman. "It's really nice to have a tough out hitting eighth for you. His maturity at the plate, his plate appearances are always great. He's always working deep into counts. That goes a long way and doesn't show up in the box score or stat lines."
"The at-bat before I struck out on an off-speed pitch low in the dirt and I was just trying to make sure I was seeing something up," Willman said of his third home run of the year. "I got one that I was looking for, the ball that I put out, and I was just ready to go."
Caplinger matched Willman's 2-for-4, three-RBI day. His home run was his second of the season and the fourth of the afternoon for K-State.
Goodwin was a triple short of the cycle, as had a game-high three hits. The freshman's first-inning solo shot, which tied the game at a run apiece, traveled 468 feet – the longest home run by any Wildcat this season.
Zach Kokoska and Phillips each registered two hits to round out five Wildcats with multi-hit efforts. Kokoska pushed his on-base streak to 35 games, a career-long stretch.
K-State hit .429 (6-for-14) with two outs and drove in four runs with two gone. The Cats also hit .500 (4-for-8) with runners in scoring position.
WVU was limited to just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, as Ford held the Mountaineers without a hit (0-for-6) with a runner at second or third.
Mountaineer starter Ben Hampton allowed four earned runs on seven hits in his five innings of work, striking out six. Carlson Reed, who suffered the loss, gave up three earned on four hits in one inning.
Matt McCormick led the Mountaineers with two hits, including an RBI double in the top of the first inning. McCormick's go-ahead hit was WVU's lone extra-base hit of the day.
The weekend series win marked K-State's first over West Virginia since the 2017 season. The Wildcats have won back-to-back Big 12 series at home after beginning the conference schedule with three consecutive top-13 opponents.
"These guys are smart enough to know that the schedule is coming back around to us and what a homestand means and how difficult the first three weekends were," Hughes added. "They don't look back. They stay in the moment."
The Wildcats improved to 6-3 at home in league play, winning all three series at Tointon Family Stadium (No. 3 Texas Tech, Oklahoma, West Virginia).
K-State continues its homestand with a matchup against former Big 12 rival Missouri Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage will be available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with live, free audio streaming at K-StateSports.com/watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Ford entered the game with K-State (23-16, 5-9 Big 12) trailing 3-1 with two runners in scoring position and two outs in the third. The senior induced an inning-ending ground ball and went on to retire the first four hitters he faced in not allowing a base hit until the sixth inning.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander finished off the series-clinching victory by retiring 11 of the last 12 WVU hitters he saw. Ford scattered just three hits in his season-long effort, striking out two and walking two with one unearned run against him.
"Great series win. That's our goal," said head coach Pete Hughes. "We all came here to win series in the Big 12. We're back in the race and back in the hunt. Took advantage of our homestand which was critical in getting back into the Big 12 standings. Great team win really, up and down the lineup.
"For me, the storyline of the day was Kasey Ford coming in and just being ready to execute and perform. The kid's been ready every single day for three years I've coached him. He'll take any role you throw at him. The only thing he cares about is the purple and white winning baseball games."
Ford lifted starter Carson Seymour after Seymour surrendered three earned runs on four hits while walking four. Seymour struck out five over his 2 2/3 innings.
West Virginia (15-18, 6-9 Big 12) held a one-run lead at three different points in the series finale. Nick Goodwin and Kamron Willman each hit game-tying home runs before Willman and Dylan Caplinger recorded back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth with two outs to hand the Wildcats a 5-4 lead.
A two-run home run by Dylan Phillips in the seventh preceded a two-run bomb by Caplinger in the eighth, helping cap six unanswered runs over K-State's final three innings at the plate.
Willman's two-out, two-run homer in the fourth tied the game at 3-3. The redshirt junior infielder ended the day 2-for-4 with three RBI – all coming with two outs.
"He gives us some balance," Hughes said of Willman. "It's really nice to have a tough out hitting eighth for you. His maturity at the plate, his plate appearances are always great. He's always working deep into counts. That goes a long way and doesn't show up in the box score or stat lines."
"The at-bat before I struck out on an off-speed pitch low in the dirt and I was just trying to make sure I was seeing something up," Willman said of his third home run of the year. "I got one that I was looking for, the ball that I put out, and I was just ready to go."
Caplinger matched Willman's 2-for-4, three-RBI day. His home run was his second of the season and the fourth of the afternoon for K-State.
Goodwin was a triple short of the cycle, as had a game-high three hits. The freshman's first-inning solo shot, which tied the game at a run apiece, traveled 468 feet – the longest home run by any Wildcat this season.
Zach Kokoska and Phillips each registered two hits to round out five Wildcats with multi-hit efforts. Kokoska pushed his on-base streak to 35 games, a career-long stretch.
K-State hit .429 (6-for-14) with two outs and drove in four runs with two gone. The Cats also hit .500 (4-for-8) with runners in scoring position.
WVU was limited to just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, as Ford held the Mountaineers without a hit (0-for-6) with a runner at second or third.
Mountaineer starter Ben Hampton allowed four earned runs on seven hits in his five innings of work, striking out six. Carlson Reed, who suffered the loss, gave up three earned on four hits in one inning.
Matt McCormick led the Mountaineers with two hits, including an RBI double in the top of the first inning. McCormick's go-ahead hit was WVU's lone extra-base hit of the day.
The weekend series win marked K-State's first over West Virginia since the 2017 season. The Wildcats have won back-to-back Big 12 series at home after beginning the conference schedule with three consecutive top-13 opponents.
"These guys are smart enough to know that the schedule is coming back around to us and what a homestand means and how difficult the first three weekends were," Hughes added. "They don't look back. They stay in the moment."
The Wildcats improved to 6-3 at home in league play, winning all three series at Tointon Family Stadium (No. 3 Texas Tech, Oklahoma, West Virginia).
K-State continues its homestand with a matchup against former Big 12 rival Missouri Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage will be available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with live, free audio streaming at K-StateSports.com/watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State scored nine runs on 13 hits with one error and six left on base.
- West Virginia scored four runs on seven hits with one error and nine left on base.
- Goodwin hit his eighth homer of the season.
- Willman hit his third homer of the season.
- Phillips hit his 11th homer of the season and the 26th of his K-State career.
- Caplinger hit his second homer of the year.
- K-State had five extra-base hits while WVU had one.
- Caplinger, Goodwin, Kokoska, Phillips and Willman all had multi-hit performances.
- Goodwin had a team-high three hits.
- Caplinger and Willman each drove in a team-best three runs.
- Phillips drove in a pair and Goodwin drove in a run.
- Seymour allowed three runs and four hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of work.
- Ford improved to 3-0 and allowed one unearned run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of relief.
- The bottom third of the K-State order combined for four hits, six RBI and five runs scored.
- West Virginia went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
- K-State was 6-for-14 with two outs, 6-for-17 with runners on and 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
- Thompson made his 223rd consecutive start and is second in career starts in K-State history.
- Phillips' 26 career homers are good for eighth in program history.
- Kokoska extended his career-best on-base streak to 35 games.
- K-State has 57 homers on the year, which is first in the Big 12.
- The 57 homers are fourth-most in a single season in program history and most since hitting 58 in 2009.
- K-State has multiple homers in 12 games this season.
- K-State has homered in 17 of its last 18 games.
- West Virginia leads the all-time series, 13-11 (13-11 Big 12).
- K-State holds an 8-7 advantage in games played in Manhattan.
Cats win the series! 😼#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/0WAApd5SVw
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
Game ball ➡️ Kasey Ford #KStateBSB x @kc_ford12 pic.twitter.com/KRQrTZ5LLv
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
.@ZachKokoska getting it done with the glove 🧤#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/EWhj24lnVa
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
Come for the @dylan_cap home run, stay for the @torreseric_ (whatever that was)#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/82zIigiVNF
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
Another Wildcat home run, and another WVU glove 🤷♂️#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/uf3iiCinZo
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
A pair of two-out RBI from Willman and Caplinger have the 'Cats back on top #KStateBSB 5 - WVU 4 | Top 7 pic.twitter.com/zw5mZpjEku
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
Take a ride ✈️ #KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/Ey51x8J9mR
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
Movement.
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
Location.
Strikeout#KStateBSB x @CheeseChucker35 pic.twitter.com/vMUFqIAYML
He got it all, and then some.
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
🚀 Nick Goodwin #KStateBSB x @NCAACWS pic.twitter.com/SRZJuqGqLO
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ford, Kasey (3-0)
L: Reed, Carlson (1-4)
Batting:
2B: McCormick, Matt 1
RBI: McCormick, Matt 1 ; Ippoliti, Vince 1 ; Brophy, Kevin 1
SH: Doanes, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Doanes, Tyler 1 ; Byorick, Hudson 2 ; McCormick, Matt 1
SB: Doanes, Tyler 1 ; Davis, Austin 1
Batting:
2B: Goodwin, Nick 1
HR: Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Willman, Kamron 1 ; Caplinger, Dylan 1
RBI: Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 2 ; Willman, Kamron 3 ; Caplinger, Dylan 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Goodwin, Nick 2 ; Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Ceballos, Chris 1 ; Littlejim, Caleb 3 ; Willman, Kamron 1 ; Caplinger, Dylan 1
SB: Littlejim, Caleb 1
CS: Kokoska, Zach 1
HBP: Littlejim, Caleb 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF/LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
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