Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, May 1
Manhattan, KS
4 p.m.
Kansas State University
26-16
15
vs
6
Texas Southern
10-30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Texas Southern
0
0
0
1
0
4
0
1
0
6
8
1
K-State
3
5
1
0
1
0
3
2
X
15
21
0
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
K-State Blasts Five Homers in 15-6 Win Over Texas Southern
May 01, 2021 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Cameron Thompson launched two home runs, Chris Ceballos homered for the third straight game and Jordan Wicks racked up eight strikeouts over five innings in K-State's 15-6 win over Texas Southern Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium.
In total, K-State (26-16) tallied five home runs in pushing its winning streak to five games. The Wildcats brought nine hitters to the plate in each of the first two innings, opening up an eight-run lead after two.
Thompson homered in his first two at-bats and was one of five Wildcats with a three-hit afternoon, helping K-State to a season-high 21 hits. Daniel Carinci drove in a team-high four runs, including a two-run homer, in going 3-for-5.
"Good day. Another series win," said head coach Pete Hughes. "That's what we're trying to do, we're trying to win series and take advantage of the homestand. Offense allowed us to do a lot of things.
"Offense and a great start for Jordan Wicks was the story of the day. Great crowd, great atmosphere. We always appreciate our community coming out and watching us."
Wicks sat down Texas Southern (10-30) in order in four of his five innings, as he was perfect through three frames in retiring the first 10 he faced. The lefty put down the last five batters he saw, as he needed just 56 pitches to get through his five innings of work.
"He was awesome, all business," Hughes said of his starter. "He commanded all four pitches today. No walks, eight strikeouts and three hits. That's as dominant as it gets. I was happy he could have an outing where we could control his pitch count and kind of give him a weekend to rest and recharge and stay sharp, and he did all of those things today."
Wicks picked up his fifth victory of the season, improving his record to 5-2. He allowed three straight singles with one out in the fourth, capped by Dean Salazar's RBI single, for the only blemish on his ledger.
The K-State offense backed Wicks' outing by scoring nine runs in the first three innings, as all nine starters recorded at least one hit. Seven Cats turned in a multi-hit effort with five players driving in multiple runs.
"We had production from one through nine," added Hughes. "Everyone got involved and had some big hits from the middle of the order. Got Cam Thompson going. Ceballos continues to stay hot. We need those guys to stay at a good place. You really take for granted what (Dylan) Phillips and (Zach) Kokoska do every day. Those guys are automatic two or three hits."
The Cats' 21 hits marked the first 20-hit game since the 2016 season.
Ceballos lifted a three-run homer to highlight a five-run second. The senior has driven in a dozen runs with three home runs over his last three games and upped his season home run total to seven.
Nick Goodwin, Zach Kokoska and Dylan Phillips all produced three hits. Kokoska drove in a pair in extending his career-long on-base streak to 38 games.
Phillips doubled, scored twice and drove in a run.
K-State recorded three hits, including Thompson's first long ball, and drew three walks in its three-run first. Carinci tallied an infield single following a bases-loaded walk by Terrence Spurlin.
Thompson homered again in the second while Ceballos' homer and Carinci's RBI single added up to a five-run frame. In two games, the Cats have outscored the Tigers 24-1 in the first two innings.
It marked Thompson's second multi-homer game of the season and is the sixth time a Wildcat has recorded a multi-homer game this season.
Caleb Littlejim led off the third with his second home run of the season, pushing the K-State lead to 9-0.
The five home runs launched by the Wildcats was one shy of a single-game high this year and brought their season total to 65 – the second-highest home run total in program history behind only the 1997 squad (75).
After TSU tallied its run in the fourth, Kokoska's RBI single inflated the Wildcat lead back to nine runs in the fifth.
Following a four-run sixth in which Texas Southern had just one hit, Oscar Ponce lifted a solo home run in the eighth to highlight the TSU scoring.
Brian Williams suffered the loss after allowing 10 earned runs on 14 hits in five innings. Williams walked five and struck out three.
Tyler Eckberg worked 2 1/3 innings, striking out two and yielding a run on four hits. Carson Seymour tossed a scoreless ninth innings, striking out a pair.
K-State and Texas Southern finish the series Sunday at 1 p.m. The finale 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
In total, K-State (26-16) tallied five home runs in pushing its winning streak to five games. The Wildcats brought nine hitters to the plate in each of the first two innings, opening up an eight-run lead after two.
Thompson homered in his first two at-bats and was one of five Wildcats with a three-hit afternoon, helping K-State to a season-high 21 hits. Daniel Carinci drove in a team-high four runs, including a two-run homer, in going 3-for-5.
"Good day. Another series win," said head coach Pete Hughes. "That's what we're trying to do, we're trying to win series and take advantage of the homestand. Offense allowed us to do a lot of things.
"Offense and a great start for Jordan Wicks was the story of the day. Great crowd, great atmosphere. We always appreciate our community coming out and watching us."
Wicks sat down Texas Southern (10-30) in order in four of his five innings, as he was perfect through three frames in retiring the first 10 he faced. The lefty put down the last five batters he saw, as he needed just 56 pitches to get through his five innings of work.
"He was awesome, all business," Hughes said of his starter. "He commanded all four pitches today. No walks, eight strikeouts and three hits. That's as dominant as it gets. I was happy he could have an outing where we could control his pitch count and kind of give him a weekend to rest and recharge and stay sharp, and he did all of those things today."
Wicks picked up his fifth victory of the season, improving his record to 5-2. He allowed three straight singles with one out in the fourth, capped by Dean Salazar's RBI single, for the only blemish on his ledger.
The K-State offense backed Wicks' outing by scoring nine runs in the first three innings, as all nine starters recorded at least one hit. Seven Cats turned in a multi-hit effort with five players driving in multiple runs.
"We had production from one through nine," added Hughes. "Everyone got involved and had some big hits from the middle of the order. Got Cam Thompson going. Ceballos continues to stay hot. We need those guys to stay at a good place. You really take for granted what (Dylan) Phillips and (Zach) Kokoska do every day. Those guys are automatic two or three hits."
The Cats' 21 hits marked the first 20-hit game since the 2016 season.
Ceballos lifted a three-run homer to highlight a five-run second. The senior has driven in a dozen runs with three home runs over his last three games and upped his season home run total to seven.
Nick Goodwin, Zach Kokoska and Dylan Phillips all produced three hits. Kokoska drove in a pair in extending his career-long on-base streak to 38 games.
Phillips doubled, scored twice and drove in a run.
K-State recorded three hits, including Thompson's first long ball, and drew three walks in its three-run first. Carinci tallied an infield single following a bases-loaded walk by Terrence Spurlin.
Thompson homered again in the second while Ceballos' homer and Carinci's RBI single added up to a five-run frame. In two games, the Cats have outscored the Tigers 24-1 in the first two innings.
It marked Thompson's second multi-homer game of the season and is the sixth time a Wildcat has recorded a multi-homer game this season.
Caleb Littlejim led off the third with his second home run of the season, pushing the K-State lead to 9-0.
The five home runs launched by the Wildcats was one shy of a single-game high this year and brought their season total to 65 – the second-highest home run total in program history behind only the 1997 squad (75).
After TSU tallied its run in the fourth, Kokoska's RBI single inflated the Wildcat lead back to nine runs in the fifth.
Following a four-run sixth in which Texas Southern had just one hit, Oscar Ponce lifted a solo home run in the eighth to highlight the TSU scoring.
Brian Williams suffered the loss after allowing 10 earned runs on 14 hits in five innings. Williams walked five and struck out three.
Tyler Eckberg worked 2 1/3 innings, striking out two and yielding a run on four hits. Carson Seymour tossed a scoreless ninth innings, striking out a pair.
K-State and Texas Southern finish the series Sunday at 1 p.m. The finale 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 15 runs on a season-high 21 hits with no errors and 12 left on base.
- Texas Southern scored six runs on seven hits with one error and four left on base.
- K-State batted around in each of the first two innings.
- Carinci, Goodwin, Kokoska, Phillips and Thompson all had three-hit performances.
- The Cats hit five homers on the day and had seven extra-base hits overall.
- Thompson hit his ninth and 10th homers of the year and now has 19 in his career.
- Ceballos hit his seventh homer of the season and has homered in three straight games.
- Ceballos has 12 RBI in the last three games.
- Littlejim hit his second homer of the season.
- Carinci drove in a team-high four and hit his third homer of the season.
- Ceballos drove in three while Kokoska, Spurlin and Thompson drove in two each.
- Wicks (5-2) worked the first five innings and allowed one run and three hits with eight strikeouts.
- Wicks was perfect through three innings and retired the first 10 he faced.
- Wicks put down the final five batters he faced, retiring the side in order in four of five innings.
- K-State was 7-for-14 with two outs, 10-for-24 with runners on and 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
- Saturday marked K-State's first 20-hit performance since the 2016 season.
- K-State improved to 21-6 at home this season.
- The 21 home wins are the most since K-State had 27 in 2013.
- K-State has won all three meetings all time with Texas Southern.
- The Cats are 20-7 in non-conference games this season.
- Thompson made his 226th consecutive start and is second in career starts in K-State history.
- K-State has homered in eight straight games and in 19 of its last 20 games overall.
- K-State's 65 homers are good for first in the Big 12.
- The 65 homers are second-most in a single season in program history. The 1997 team was the only one to hit more (75).
- K-State has now hit five or more homers three times this season.
- The Cats have multiple homers in 14 games this year.
- Kokoska continued his career-best on-base streak, which sits at 38 games.
- Kokoska has hits in 26 of his last 28 games.
- Thompson turned in his second multi-homer game of the season.
Cats Win 😼#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/vpT6mz9spT
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 1, 2021
With their 5 home runs today, the 'Cats now have 6️⃣5️⃣ on the season.
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 2, 2021
The 65 homers are the second-most in a single season in program history, trailing only the 1997 team (75). #KStateBSB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/yOYagI4Pcj
No doubt about it, @dcarinci_7 sends a blast to right field 💣#KStateBSB 13 - Texas Southern 5 | Top 8 pic.twitter.com/SlkdOcz4XM
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 1, 2021
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wicks, Jordan (5-2)
L: Brian Willams (1-6)
Batting:
2B: Tyrese Clayborne 1
HR: Oscar Ponce 1
RBI: Oscar Ponce 1 ; Dean Salazar 2 ; Nic Garza 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Tyrese Clayborne 1 ; Herbert Watts 2 ; Oscar Ponce 2 ; Michael Goudeau 1
SB: Tyrese Clayborne 1
HBP: Michael Goudeau 1
Batting:
2B: Phillips, Dylan 1
3B: Spurlin, Terrence 1
HR: Littlejim, Caleb 1 ; Thompson, Cameron 2 ; Ceballos, Chris 1 ; Carinci, Daniel 1
RBI: Littlejim, Caleb 1 ; Thompson, Cameron 2 ; Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Kokoska, Zach 2 ; Ceballos, Chris 3 ; Spurlin, Terrence 2 ; Carinci, Daniel 4
SF: Spurlin, Terrence 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Littlejim, Caleb 1 ; Thompson, Cameron 3 ; Goodwin, Nick 3 ; Phillips, Dylan 2 ; Kokoska, Zach 2 ; Ceballos, Chris 1 ; Burrows, Blake 1 ; Spurlin, Terrence 1 ; Carinci, Daniel 1
SB: Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Burrows, Blake 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
6
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
6
R
3
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ BaseballOF/LHP
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RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
LHP
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