Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, February 18
Arlington, Texas
3 p.m.
Kansas State University
0-1
6
vs
8
Arizona
1-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Arizona
0
1
2
0
0
1
2
2
0
8
9
1
K-State
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
5
0
6
11
2
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
Photo by: Lathe Cobb Photography
No. 10 Arizona Hangs on to Defeat K-State, 8-6, on Opening Day
Feb 18, 2022 | Baseball
ARLINGTON, Texas – K-State turned a seven-run deficit into two after a five-run eighth, but the late-inning rally fell short on Friday, as No. 10 Arizona won the season opener 8-6 to begin the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field.
K-State (0-1), trailing 8-1 after seven and a half innings, loaded the bases in the eighth and got a two-run single from Orlando Salinas, Jr. After a hit by pitch, walk and a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, Dylan Phillips stepped into the batter's box and represented the go-ahead run.
Phillips, the Big 12's active leader in career home runs, drove a 1-0 pitch to straightaway center field that was caught at the foot of the wall at the 407-foot sign by Arizona center fielder Mac Bingham.
"I always judge my teams by how they react when they're up or down five, six runs," said head coach Pete Hughes. "And we got a lot of fight in our team right there and if that's who we are, and that is who we are, we are going to win a lot of games this year. We put ourselves in position to win a game down seven runs late, that was an awesome effort.
"Now we can't put ourselves in those situations, we have to play better baseball up until the eighth inning and be a little more opportunistic. We need to make pitches, we need to put people away and we need do a better job running the bases. In a nutshell, be more fundamentally sound. But to have the character we had to give ourselves a chance to win is something that I'll take as a positive."
Dominic Johnson laced an RBI double down the left field line in the third, giving K-State its first run of the season after falling behind 3-0. Johnson, in his Wildcat debut, went 2-for-4 with two RBI from the leadoff spot.
Arizona owned a 4-1 edge as the game went to the bottom of the sixth, Cole Johnson and Phillips each singled to lead off the frame and after a Josh Nicoloff walk, K-State had the bases full with one out. Arizona reliever Anthony Susac struck out back-to-back hitters to end the threat.
In the next half inning UA catcher Daniel Susac delivered a two-run, two-out double as the Arizona lead swelled to five.
"If you look at the storyline going into the eighth inning - bases loaded, we didn't get the big hit and they did," added Hughes. "Susac gets that big hit down the line to stretch the lead out for them."
K-State went 5-for-22 (.227) with runners on base and went hitless (0-for-7) with two outs. Additionally, 10 of the team's 12 strikeouts came with runners on base.
"We swung at a lot of balls, so we've got to be a little more disciplined," stated Hughes. "Day one, is that a surprise? No, it's not. Guys have adrenaline going and it comes from a good place because they want to play well so bad. Sometimes that doesn't lead to the most disciplined at-bats. We'll get settled in tomorrow."
Making his K-State debut, junior right-hander Blake Adams went six innings in the start. Adams struck out eight without issuing a walk, scattering seven hits with four earned runs allowed.
"He threw a lot of strikes and didn't beat himself," Hughes said of Adams' start. "He would love to have a couple of those pitches back, but I was pleased with his outing. He was tough, he competed, he bounced back after home runs and damage controlled some innings that could've spiraled out of control. We didn't give him any run support either, so he was pitching with pressure the whole night. I was happy with his outing."
Four Wildcats produced two-hit games, including three newcomers in Kaelen Culpepper, Dominic Johnson and Cash Rugely. Salinas, also a newcomer, came off the bench to drive in a pair while Culpepper drove in a run in the eighth.
Also making his first appearance in a K-State uniform, freshman Tyson Neighbors struck out the side in order in the top of the ninth, keeping the contest a two-run game going to the bottom of the ninth.
Four K-State pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts against four walks.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Arizona's Noah Turley recorded the first hit for Arizona, a solo home run to straightaway center field with two outs in the second inning. Adams retired the first five hitters he faced in his K-State debut.
After Arizona plated two in the third, Dominic Johnson laced an RBI double down the left field line in the bottom half of the frame to score Culpepper, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, K-State loaded the bases after a one-out walk drawn by Nicoloff. Arizona reliever Anthony Susac then recorded back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam.
After his team scored five runs in the eighth, Phillips came to bat with runners on first and second and the score sitting at 8-6. Phillips smoked a 1-0 pitch to dead center field, but was caught by Bingham on the warning track, a step in front of the 407-foot marker.
UP NEXT
K-State continues the 2022 State Farm College Baseball Showdown Saturday against Michigan, with first pitch at 11 a.m. Fan can watch on FloBaseball.TV and listen on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/Watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
K-State (0-1), trailing 8-1 after seven and a half innings, loaded the bases in the eighth and got a two-run single from Orlando Salinas, Jr. After a hit by pitch, walk and a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, Dylan Phillips stepped into the batter's box and represented the go-ahead run.
Phillips, the Big 12's active leader in career home runs, drove a 1-0 pitch to straightaway center field that was caught at the foot of the wall at the 407-foot sign by Arizona center fielder Mac Bingham.
"I always judge my teams by how they react when they're up or down five, six runs," said head coach Pete Hughes. "And we got a lot of fight in our team right there and if that's who we are, and that is who we are, we are going to win a lot of games this year. We put ourselves in position to win a game down seven runs late, that was an awesome effort.
"Now we can't put ourselves in those situations, we have to play better baseball up until the eighth inning and be a little more opportunistic. We need to make pitches, we need to put people away and we need do a better job running the bases. In a nutshell, be more fundamentally sound. But to have the character we had to give ourselves a chance to win is something that I'll take as a positive."
Dominic Johnson laced an RBI double down the left field line in the third, giving K-State its first run of the season after falling behind 3-0. Johnson, in his Wildcat debut, went 2-for-4 with two RBI from the leadoff spot.
Arizona owned a 4-1 edge as the game went to the bottom of the sixth, Cole Johnson and Phillips each singled to lead off the frame and after a Josh Nicoloff walk, K-State had the bases full with one out. Arizona reliever Anthony Susac struck out back-to-back hitters to end the threat.
In the next half inning UA catcher Daniel Susac delivered a two-run, two-out double as the Arizona lead swelled to five.
"If you look at the storyline going into the eighth inning - bases loaded, we didn't get the big hit and they did," added Hughes. "Susac gets that big hit down the line to stretch the lead out for them."
K-State went 5-for-22 (.227) with runners on base and went hitless (0-for-7) with two outs. Additionally, 10 of the team's 12 strikeouts came with runners on base.
"We swung at a lot of balls, so we've got to be a little more disciplined," stated Hughes. "Day one, is that a surprise? No, it's not. Guys have adrenaline going and it comes from a good place because they want to play well so bad. Sometimes that doesn't lead to the most disciplined at-bats. We'll get settled in tomorrow."
Making his K-State debut, junior right-hander Blake Adams went six innings in the start. Adams struck out eight without issuing a walk, scattering seven hits with four earned runs allowed.
"He threw a lot of strikes and didn't beat himself," Hughes said of Adams' start. "He would love to have a couple of those pitches back, but I was pleased with his outing. He was tough, he competed, he bounced back after home runs and damage controlled some innings that could've spiraled out of control. We didn't give him any run support either, so he was pitching with pressure the whole night. I was happy with his outing."
Four Wildcats produced two-hit games, including three newcomers in Kaelen Culpepper, Dominic Johnson and Cash Rugely. Salinas, also a newcomer, came off the bench to drive in a pair while Culpepper drove in a run in the eighth.
Also making his first appearance in a K-State uniform, freshman Tyson Neighbors struck out the side in order in the top of the ninth, keeping the contest a two-run game going to the bottom of the ninth.
Four K-State pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts against four walks.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Arizona's Noah Turley recorded the first hit for Arizona, a solo home run to straightaway center field with two outs in the second inning. Adams retired the first five hitters he faced in his K-State debut.
After Arizona plated two in the third, Dominic Johnson laced an RBI double down the left field line in the bottom half of the frame to score Culpepper, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, K-State loaded the bases after a one-out walk drawn by Nicoloff. Arizona reliever Anthony Susac then recorded back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam.
After his team scored five runs in the eighth, Phillips came to bat with runners on first and second and the score sitting at 8-6. Phillips smoked a 1-0 pitch to dead center field, but was caught by Bingham on the warning track, a step in front of the 407-foot marker.
UP NEXT
K-State continues the 2022 State Farm College Baseball Showdown Saturday against Michigan, with first pitch at 11 a.m. Fan can watch on FloBaseball.TV and listen on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/Watch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State scored six runs on 11 hits, committed two errors and left nine on base.
- Arizona scored eight runs on nine hits with one error and stranded six baserunners.
- Despite owning an 11-9 advantage in total hits, K-State produced just one extra-base hit (double by Dominic Johnson).
- Arizona turned in six extra base hits (three doubles, a triple, two home runs).
- Five different Wildcats recorded their first base hit in a K-State uniform.
- Culpepper recorded his first collegiate hit in his first at-bat, a single in the third.
- Dominic Johnson, Nicoloff, Salinas, and Rugely also turned in the first base hits as a Wildcat.
- K-State got its leadoff man on in five times, including in each of the first three innings.
- Phillips, who went 2-for-5, carded his 40th career multi-hit game.
- Ten of K-State's 12 strikeouts came with men on base.
- Adams struck out eight over six innings without a walk in his first K-State start.
- Neighbors logged a perfect ninth inning, striking out the side in order.
- Seven of Arizona's eight runs came with two outs.
- K-State went 5-for-22 (.227) with runners on base and 3-for-13 (.231) with runners in scoring position.
- Arizona hit .286 with runners on base and with men in scoring position.
- K-State went hitless (0-for-7) with two outs while Arizona hit .400 (6-for-15).
- Arizona leads the all-time series 2-0, as the teams met for the first time since 1993.
- This marked the second straight season the Wildcats opened with a Pac-12 opponent (Oregon State).
- The Cats are 1-6 on Opening Day going back to 2017.
- Nick Goodwin's on-base streak was extended to eight games, dating back to last season.
- Cole Johnson pushed his hitting streak to five games.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Arias Jr, George (1-0)
L: Adams, Blake (0-1)
S: Christian, Holden (1)
Batting:
2B: Bingham, Mac 1 ; Susac, Daniel 1 ; Davis, Chase 1
3B: McClaughry, Nik 1
HR: O'Tremba, Tanner 1 ; Turley, Noah 1
RBI: Bingham, Mac 1 ; Susac, Daniel 3 ; O'Tremba, Tanner 1 ; Turley, Noah 1 ; McClaughry, Nik 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bingham, Mac 1 ; O'Tremba, Tanner 1 ; Turley, Noah 2 ; Paugh, Blake 2 ; McClaughry, Nik 2
SB: Bingham, Mac 1
HBP: O'Tremba, Tanner 1 ; Paugh, Blake 1
Batting:
2B: Johnson, Dominic 1
RBI: Johnson, Dominic 2 ; Johnson, Cole 1 ; Salinas, Jr., Orlando 2 ; Culpepper, Kaelen 1
SF: Johnson, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Phillips, Dylan 1 ; Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Rugely, Cash 1 ; Salinas, Jr., Orlando 1 ; Hughes, Dom 1 ; Culpepper, Kaelen 1
CS: Johnson, Dominic 1
HBP: Goodwin, Nick 2 ; Culpepper, Kaelen 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP/DH
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF/LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballK-State BSB | Postgame Press Conference vs Texas
Sunday, June 01
K-State Baseball | Game Highlights vs Houston Christian (Austin Regional)
Sunday, June 01
K-State BSB | Game Highlights vs Houston Christian (Austin Regional)
Saturday, May 31
K-State BSB | Postgame Press Conference vs Houston Christian
Saturday, May 31