Saturday, April 23
Manhattan, Kan.
4 p.m.
Kansas State University
20-18
7
vs
16
UC Irvine
22-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UC Irvine
3
5
0
5
1
2
0
0
0
16
16
0
K-State
2
1
0
1
0
0
2
1
0
7
12
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
Anteaters Even Series Behind Five Home Runs Saturday
Apr 23, 2022 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – UC Irvine hit five home runs, including two each from Ben Fitzgerald and Thomas McCaffrey, in evening the weekend series with a 16-7 win over K-State Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium.
Fitzgerald and McCaffrey both produced four-hit afternoons, as each finished with a double, two home runs and six runs batted in. UC Irvine (22-14) got hits from eight of nine in its starting lineup in scoring eight runs in the first two innings and later jumped out to a 13-3 lead through four.
"It was a tough day, playing from behind right from the get-go," said head coach Pete Hughes. "The conditions were conducive to a comeback and to be able to close a large margin, but you've got to throw up some zeroes there to let your offense go to work. Credit to Irvine, they kept expanding and kept expanding (the lead). We just had trouble staying out of advantage counts, from a pitching staff's point of view."
McCaffrey's first homer came in the top of the first, a three-run shot, before adding a two-RBI double as part of a five-run second inning. Fitzgerald's first bomb was also a three-run homer, coming in the second inning off K-State starter Connor McCullough.
"Connor McCullough just didn't have great stuff today, but in his defense, he's not feeling great," Hughes said of his starter. "A lot of kids would've asked out of that outing today, but he's a team guy and he's tough. He went out and pitched when he wasn't a hundred percent and I appreciate that. He'd be the last one to make an excuse on that, but that's the truth."
McCullough turned in the shortest start of his Wildcat career, as he was taken out of the game after two innings and a career-high eight earned runs allowed. The redshirt sophomore surrendered six hits, walked two and struck out three on 59 pitches.
In response to McCaffrey's first home run, Jeff Heinrich lifted a two-run shot of his own in the bottom of the first, bringing the Wildcats (20-18) within a run at 3-2. It marked Heinrich's seventh long ball of the season while he has gone deep in three consecutive games.
The Anteaters expanded their lead with a five-run fourth inning that featured the second home runs of the day from both Fitzgerald and McCaffrey. Fitzgerald's bomb was his second three-run shot while McCaffrey's was a solo bomb, both coming off reliever Christian Ruebeck, to push UCI's lead to 13-3.
Ruebeck surrendered six earned runs on six hits over three innings, striking out three and walking two.
Justin Mitchell connected on a solo homer in the second while Nick Goodwin did so in the fourth. Raphael Pelletier added a solo home run of his own in the eighth, as four home runs accounted for five of K-State's seven runs.
Brendan Jones produced a two-run pinch-hit single with two outs in the seventh for the first runs batted in of his Wildcat career.
Heinrich tallied a team-high three hits, going 3-for-5. Josh Nicoloff produced K-State's only other multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 effort.
Landry Wideman, Grant Nicholson and Nico Rodriguez combined to hold the Anteaters scoreless on just one hit over the game's final three innings. Nicholson, a redshirt freshman, struck out the side in the eighth in his first collegiate outing.
Fitzgerald, the leadoff hitter, finished 4-for-7 while McCaffrey was 4-for-5. Myles Smith added a solo homer in the fifth inning.
UCI finished with 11 two-out RBI and hit .500 (9-for-18) with two outs.
Michael Frias carded seven innings in the start for UC Irvine, giving up 11 hits and six earned runs. Frias (5-1) picked up the win with seven strikeouts and no walks.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
UC Irvine struck first, as McCaffrey blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the top of the first inning off McCullough. Both Hadeen, who doubled with one out, and Dub Gleed, who was hit by a pitch, came around to score on McCaffrey's fourth home run of the season.
Heinrich hit his second home run of the series, and third in as many games, in the bottom of the first. His two-run shot trimmed the UCI lead to 3-2.
The Anteaters' lead swelled to six runs after a five-run second that included a three-run homer from Fitzgerald. McCaffrey drove in two with a double off the wall in right, coming with two outs, as he registered five runs batted in his first two at-bats to hand UC Irvine an 8-2 lead after an inning and a half.
Following a Mitchell solo homer in the second, UC Irvine posted five more runs in the fourth. McCaffrey and Fitzgerald each lifted their second home runs of the day in the inning, with Fitzgerald's being a three-run shot, to push the lead to 13-3.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
K-State and UC Irvine wrap up the series Sunday at 11 a.m. The game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and with radio coverage on News Radio KMAN. Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/Watch.
Fitzgerald and McCaffrey both produced four-hit afternoons, as each finished with a double, two home runs and six runs batted in. UC Irvine (22-14) got hits from eight of nine in its starting lineup in scoring eight runs in the first two innings and later jumped out to a 13-3 lead through four.
"It was a tough day, playing from behind right from the get-go," said head coach Pete Hughes. "The conditions were conducive to a comeback and to be able to close a large margin, but you've got to throw up some zeroes there to let your offense go to work. Credit to Irvine, they kept expanding and kept expanding (the lead). We just had trouble staying out of advantage counts, from a pitching staff's point of view."
McCaffrey's first homer came in the top of the first, a three-run shot, before adding a two-RBI double as part of a five-run second inning. Fitzgerald's first bomb was also a three-run homer, coming in the second inning off K-State starter Connor McCullough.
"Connor McCullough just didn't have great stuff today, but in his defense, he's not feeling great," Hughes said of his starter. "A lot of kids would've asked out of that outing today, but he's a team guy and he's tough. He went out and pitched when he wasn't a hundred percent and I appreciate that. He'd be the last one to make an excuse on that, but that's the truth."
McCullough turned in the shortest start of his Wildcat career, as he was taken out of the game after two innings and a career-high eight earned runs allowed. The redshirt sophomore surrendered six hits, walked two and struck out three on 59 pitches.
In response to McCaffrey's first home run, Jeff Heinrich lifted a two-run shot of his own in the bottom of the first, bringing the Wildcats (20-18) within a run at 3-2. It marked Heinrich's seventh long ball of the season while he has gone deep in three consecutive games.
The Anteaters expanded their lead with a five-run fourth inning that featured the second home runs of the day from both Fitzgerald and McCaffrey. Fitzgerald's bomb was his second three-run shot while McCaffrey's was a solo bomb, both coming off reliever Christian Ruebeck, to push UCI's lead to 13-3.
Ruebeck surrendered six earned runs on six hits over three innings, striking out three and walking two.
Justin Mitchell connected on a solo homer in the second while Nick Goodwin did so in the fourth. Raphael Pelletier added a solo home run of his own in the eighth, as four home runs accounted for five of K-State's seven runs.
Brendan Jones produced a two-run pinch-hit single with two outs in the seventh for the first runs batted in of his Wildcat career.
Heinrich tallied a team-high three hits, going 3-for-5. Josh Nicoloff produced K-State's only other multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 effort.
Landry Wideman, Grant Nicholson and Nico Rodriguez combined to hold the Anteaters scoreless on just one hit over the game's final three innings. Nicholson, a redshirt freshman, struck out the side in the eighth in his first collegiate outing.
Fitzgerald, the leadoff hitter, finished 4-for-7 while McCaffrey was 4-for-5. Myles Smith added a solo homer in the fifth inning.
UCI finished with 11 two-out RBI and hit .500 (9-for-18) with two outs.
Michael Frias carded seven innings in the start for UC Irvine, giving up 11 hits and six earned runs. Frias (5-1) picked up the win with seven strikeouts and no walks.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
UC Irvine struck first, as McCaffrey blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the top of the first inning off McCullough. Both Hadeen, who doubled with one out, and Dub Gleed, who was hit by a pitch, came around to score on McCaffrey's fourth home run of the season.
Heinrich hit his second home run of the series, and third in as many games, in the bottom of the first. His two-run shot trimmed the UCI lead to 3-2.
The Anteaters' lead swelled to six runs after a five-run second that included a three-run homer from Fitzgerald. McCaffrey drove in two with a double off the wall in right, coming with two outs, as he registered five runs batted in his first two at-bats to hand UC Irvine an 8-2 lead after an inning and a half.
Following a Mitchell solo homer in the second, UC Irvine posted five more runs in the fourth. McCaffrey and Fitzgerald each lifted their second home runs of the day in the inning, with Fitzgerald's being a three-run shot, to push the lead to 13-3.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State scored seven runs on 12 hits with one error and left six on base.
- UC Irvine scored 16 runs on 16 hits, committed no errors and stranded 12 baserunners.
- The 16 runs score by UCI marked a season high for a K-State opponent.
- The Anteaters hit five home runs while the Cats hit four.
- Fitzgerald and McCaffrey each had four hits, two homers and six RBI for UCI.
- Eight of the starting nine registered a hit for the Anteaters.
- Half of UCI's hits went for extra bases (five homers, three doubles).
- Heinrich homered for the third straight game and had a team-best three hits (3-for-5).
- Nicoloff was responsible for the Cats' only other multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3.
- Goodwin, Mitchell and Pelletier also homered as five of K-State's seven runs came via the home run.
- McCullough logged just two innings, marking the shortest start of his career.
- McCullough finished with a career-high eight earned runs on six hits.
- Ruebeck surrendered six runs on six hits over three innings of relief.
- Wideman, Nicholson and Rodriguez held UC Irvine scoreless on one hit over the last three frames.
- UC Irvine totaled 11 two-out RBI while hitting .500 (9-for-18) with two outs.
- K-State went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position and UCI was 6-for-14.
- The all-time series is split, 2-2, while this is the first series between the teams since 2008.
- All four matchups have taken place at Tointon Family Stadium.
- The Cats are 2-4 against teams from the Big West this season.
- The Wildcats have hit multiple home runs 17 times this season and are now 12-5 in those contests.
- Nicholson, a redshirt freshman, made his collegiate debut in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT
K-State and UC Irvine wrap up the series Sunday at 11 a.m. The game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and with radio coverage on News Radio KMAN. Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/Watch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Frias, Michael (5-1)
L: McCullough, Connor (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Fitzgerald, Ben 1 ; Hadeen, Woody 1 ; McCaffrey, Thomas 1
HR: Fitzgerald, Ben 2 ; McCaffrey, Thomas 2 ; Smith, Myles 1
RBI: Fitzgerald, Ben 6 ; Torres, Justin 2 ; McCaffrey, Thomas 6 ; Smith, Myles 1 ; Spillane, Luke 1
SH: Spillane, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fitzgerald, Ben 3 ; Hadeen, Woody 1 ; Gleed, Dub 2 ; Torres, Justin 1 ; McCaffrey, Thomas 2 ; Smith, Myles 2 ; Kendle, Caden 2 ; Spillane, Luke 1 ; Nakawake, Taishi 2
HBP: Hadeen, Woody 1 ; Gleed, Dub 2 ; Nakawake, Taishi 1
Batting:
2B: Heinrich, Jeff 1
HR: Heinrich, Jeff 1 ; Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Mitchell, Justin 1 ; Pelletier, Raphael 1
RBI: Heinrich, Jeff 2 ; Jones, Brendan 2 ; Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Mitchell, Justin 1 ; Pelletier, Raphael 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Johnson, Dominic 1 ; Hughes, Dom 1 ; Heinrich, Jeff 2 ; Goodwin, Nick 1 ; Mitchell, Justin 1 ; Pelletier, Raphael 1
HBP: Mitchell, Justin 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
ph/cf
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballK-State Baseball | Fall Ball Recap 2025
Tuesday, November 11
K-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
