Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
28-17, 7-10
Baylor
28-14, 8-9
K-State Scores Seven in the Ninth to Even Series with Bears
May 08, 2021 | Baseball
Dylan Caplinger ripped two homers in the game, with a three-run shot coming in the ninth. Cameron Thompson went back-to-back with Caplinger and Chris Ceballos launched a two-run shot for his sixth straight game with a home run.
K-State (28-17, 7-10 Big 12) trailed 3-1 after six innings and tied the game in the seventh with an RBI single from Kamron Willman. Willman would come around as the tying run later in the inning on a Baylor error.
"That was a true high-character win for our program," head coach Pete Hughes said after the game. "The resiliency of our guys amazes me. It takes a lot of self confidence to show up today and expect to win. Good pitching also aids in team confidence and we got that from Jordan Wicks and Eric Torres.
"Our offense never panicked and was productive at the right times. Happy for Dylan Caplinger, he's becoming one of our key hitters in pressure situations. Big game for our program tomorrow."
With the game tied at 3 and two runners on in the ninth, Cole Johnson connected on a go-ahead RBI single with two strikes to score Zach Kokoska, who led off the inning with a single. Caplinger then connected on his three-run home run, coming on the 10th pitch of the at-bat against Baylor reliever Logan Freeman.
The Wildcats finished the ninth inning with seven hits in bringing 11 hitters to the plate. Kokoska singled twice in the ninth inning and finished the day with a career-high four hits, going 4-for-5 with a double, triple and two runs scored.
Kokoska not only extended his career-long on-base streak to 41 games, but has turned in multiple hits in each of his last seven contests.
Torres retired the final 10 Baylor batters he faced over a season-long 3 1/3 innings in relief of Wicks. Torres struck out two and gave up just one base hit without a walk.
Wicks handed the ball to Torres with one out and two on in the sixth. Jack Pineda greeted Torres with a first-pitch RBI single to extend BU's lead to 3-1. Torres later induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play with runners on the corners to limit the damage to a single run.
Wicks' day ended after 5 1/3 innings with three earned runs on 10 hits. The 10 hits allowed matched a career high, as the lefty struck out four and walked two.
Wicks and Torres combined to strand nine Baylor runners through the game's first six innings.
Caplinger's first home run came in the top of the third, cutting the Bears' lead in half at 2-1. BU (28-14, 8-9 Big 12) scored two in the second off a Davion Downey solo homer along with an RBI single from Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo.
Despite trailing by just two runs, the K-State offense managed just two hits through the first six innings. Kokoska's leadoff double in the seventh sparked a stretch where the Wildcats recorded 10 hits in scoring nine runs over the game's last three innings.
The four homers launched by the Cats increased their season total to 74, one shy of tying the single-season program record of 75 (1997). Caplinger's multi-homer day marked the seventh multi-home run game by a Wildcat this season.
Caplinger's four RBI was a career-best effort.
Thompson lifted his 11th bomb of the season while Ceballos upped his total to 10, equaling his single-season high.
Ryan Leckich took the loss after giving up one run on a hit in 1 2/3 innings. Freeman was tagged for six earned runs on six hits in recording just two outs in the ninth. Three BU pitchers appeared in the final inning Saturday.
Cardoza-Oquendo led the Bears offense with his three-hit game, going 3-for-4.
The victory marked K-State's first road win in Big 12 play and just the 10th win all-time in Waco.
The series' rubber match is set for 12 p.m. Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. 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 10 runs on 12 hits with no errors and five left on base.
- Baylor scored three runs on 11 hits with two errors and nine left on base.
- The Cats scored seven runs and hit three homers in the top of the ninth.
- Caplinger hit his third and fourth homers of the season and drove in a career-high four.
- Thompson hit his 11th homer of the year and the 20th of his K-State career.
- Ceballos homered for the sixth straight game and now has 10 on the year.
- Kokoska had a career-high four hits with a double, triple and two runs scored.
- K-State had six extra -base hits.
- Johnson and Willman each drove in a run.
- Wicks allowed three runs on 10 hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work.
- Torres (3-0) worked the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit with a pair of strikeouts.
- K-State went 4-for-12 with two outs, 5-for-16 with runners on and 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
- Thompson made his 229th consecutive start and is second in career starts in K-State history.
- The Cats have homered in 11 straight games and in 22 of their last 23 games overall.
- K-State has 74 homers on the season, tops in the Big 12 and second-most in a single season in program history (75 in 1997).
- K-State has multiple homers in 16 games this season.
- Kokoska has multiple hits in seven straight games and has hit safely in 29 of his last 31 games overall.
- Kokoska extended his career-best on-base streak to 41 games.
- Wicks has a Big 12-leading 96 strikeouts on the year, just four away from tying K-State's single-season record.
- Pete Hughes now has 715 coaching wins all-time.
- Baylor leads the all-time series 51-29 (47-24 Big 12).
- K-State is 10-30 in games played in Waco.
Cats Win 😼#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/LRKDyEZ8E8
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
Dylan Caplinger (@dylan_cap) sends it over the wall in left 💣#KStateBSB 1 - Baylor 2 | Bot 3 pic.twitter.com/PsllLGt0p2
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
Kokoska extends his on-base streak to 41 games and now has an 8-game hitting streak #KStateBSB x @ZachKokoska pic.twitter.com/wUYcM8zsex
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
All tied up at 3!
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
Willman slugs an RBI single and a throwing error by Baylor brings in another run for the 'Cats #KStateBSB 3 - Baylor 3 | Bot 7 pic.twitter.com/aa3F1fzeuD
Cole Johnson (@colejo4) gets his first career Big 12 hit, and it puts the 'Cats in the lead! #KStateBSB 4 - Baylor 3 | Bot 9 pic.twitter.com/ub1LN8vuVu
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
.@dylan_capbusts it wide open! His 2nd HR of the day #KStateBSB 7 - Baylor 3 | Bot 9 pic.twitter.com/1PAzb8LBKU
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
Back-to-back... Cam makes it HR #11 on the season! #KStateBSB x @T10Cambo pic.twitter.com/ky3xrU7I0l
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
CHRIS CEBALLOS HAS NOW HIT A HOME RUN IN SIX CONSECUTIVE GAMES!#KStateBSB x @ChrisCeballos20 pic.twitter.com/mBg6Ot8L1G
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
Celly Celly. 💪
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 8, 2021
THREE homers and SEVEN runs in the 9th. #KStateBSB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/yCeukwGzKD
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Torres, Eric (3-0)
L: Leckich, Ryan (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Kokoska, Zach 1
3B: Kokoska, Zach 1
HR: Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Ceballos, Chris 1 ; Caplinger, Dylan 2
RBI: Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Ceballos, Chris 2 ; Willman, Kamron 1 ; Johnson, Cole 1 ; Caplinger, Dylan 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Ceballos, Chris 1 ; Kokoska, Zach 2 ; Spurlin, Terrence 1 ; Willman, Kamron 1 ; Johnson, Cole 1 ; Caplinger, Dylan 2
Batting:
HR: Downey, Davion 1
RBI: Pineda, Jack 1 ; Downey, Davion 1 ; Cardoza-Oquendo, E. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Downey, Davion 1 ; Nevin, Kyle 1 ; Gonzales, Alex 1
HBP: McKenzie, Jared 1
