KU Battles Back to Steal Showdown Opener, 5-3

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas scored four unanswered runs Friday night, including two in the top of the ninth to claim a 5-3 comeback victory over K-State in the opener of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Tointon Family Stadium.

K-State (23-22, 4-12 Big 12) hit three solo home runs in building a 3-1 lead through five innings. Maui Ahuna tied the game with a solo homer in the eighth before delivering a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth.

"Any time you lose late and lose at home, it makes it even more disappointing," said head coach Pete Hughes. "I thought (Daniel) Hegarty did a good job scattering 10 hits, there's not much extra traffic out there. He scattered them, that's for sure. You can't beat anyone with solo home runs, we got three of them and that was it. We've got to get more traffic on the bases and make those home runs count.

"They made big plays when they had to and they made big hits when they had to."

KU starter Daniel Hegarty pitched into the ninth inning, leaving the game after issuing a four-pitch walk to Cole Johnson to begin the bottom of the ninth. It was the only walk Hegarty handed out, earning the win after allowing three earned runs on 10 hits.

The only extra-base hits that K-State managed off Hegarty were solo home runs by Jeff Heinrich, Josh Nicoloff and Dylan Phillips. Hegarty, who had thrown complete games in two of his last three starts, struck out three before giving way to Kolby Dougan in the ninth.

Dougan inherited Johnson at first, bringing the tying run to the plate with no one out. Dougan struck out the first hitter he saw and tossed a wild pitch that allowed Johnson to move to second. A deep fly out advanced Johnson to third before inducing a game-ending pop out.

The Wildcats finished the night hitless with runner in scoring position (0-for-5) while going 2-for-12 with runners on base.

Griffin Hassall carded a quality start, leaving the game with a 3-2 lead after six innings. Hassall sprinkled six hits, struck out four, walked three and surrendered two earned runs.

"He was steady, he made big pitches but he was in a lot more fastball counts than he's used to," Hughes said of his starter. "But Griff did a good job; two runs in six innings, that's a winning start in my opinion. Too bad we couldn't get him more run support than we did."

Blake Corsentino took over for Hassall and pitched a perfect seventh inning before giving up the tying homer to Ahuna to begin the eighth.

Corsentino then got two quick groundouts to begin the ninth before walking Tavian Josenberger and yielding a single to Payton Allen. With two on and two out and Ahuna due up, K-State handed the ball to Phillips.

Ahuna singled to center field on the second pitch he saw from Phillips to give KU (20-27, 4-12 Big 12) its first lead of the game. A wild pitch then allowed Allen to score and capped the stretch of four consecutive runs by the Jayhawks – all coming after the fifth.

Phillips had earned the save in each of K-State's last two contests and entered the night having stranded all seven inherited baserunners on the season.

"It aggravates me because we couldn't get a win in front of that crowd," Hughes said of the sellout crowd at Tointon Family Stadium. "That's as good a crowd as I've ever seen here. You want to play good and you want to win for that crowd so they keep coming back. You want to win, you want to play better for them."

Ahuna led all players with three hits (3-for-5) and two RBI.

Kaelen Culpepper, Justin Mitchell and Phillips each turned in two-hit efforts to lead the Wildcat offense.

The Cats hit into two inning-ending double plays – one in the fifth and one in the eighth.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Phillips drove a 1-2 pitch into the batter's eye beyond the center field fence. His team-leading 12^th homer of the season staked the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead.

Nicoloff doubled the Cats' lead with a solo home run an inning later, crushing an 1-0 breaking ball into the Wildcat bullpen in left field.

After KU cut the lead in half in the fourth via a solo home run by Caleb Upshaw, Heinrich pushed the lead back to two runs with an opposite field homer in the fifth, as the first four runs of the game all came via solo home runs.

K-State threatened to score more in the fifth inning, as Mitchell followed Heinrich's home run with a single and moved to third on Cameron Uselton's single to right field. The inning ended when Kansas turned a 5-4-3 double play.

The Jayhawks loaded the bases before an out was recorded in the top of the sixth after a leadoff double, walk and a single. Hassall escaped the jam with just one run against him, scoring on a sacrifice fly lifted by Lichty.

Ahuna tied the game at 3 with a leadoff homer in the eighth.

In the home half, the Wildcats again had runners on the corners with just one out. Looking for the go-ahead run, KU turned a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

Kansas claimed its first lead with two runs in the ninth – both coming with two outs. After Corsentino got Cooper McMurray and Ryan Callahan to ground out to begin the frame, he issued a walk on seven pitches to Josenberger. Philips moved to the mound from first base after Corsentino yielded a single to Allen.

Phillips, who entered the game having stranded all seven runners he had inherited, allowed Josenberger to score on a single from Ahuna and Allen to come home on a wild pitch.

In the bottom of the ninth, Cole Johnson drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning to bring the tying run to the plate. After a wild pitch and a fly out, Johnson stood on third base with two outs before Dougan induced a game-ending pop up, collecting his first save of the season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

K-State scored three runs on 10 hits without an error and left five on base.
KU scored five runs on nine hits, committed no errors and stranded eight baserunners.
All three of K-State's runs came via solo home runs (Heinrich, Nicoloff, Phillips).
Phillips upped his career home run total to 43, marking his first home run since April 14 (14 games).
Culpepper, Mitchell and Phillips each registered two-hit performances.
Seven different players recorded a base hit for the Cats.
Hassall allowed two earned runs over six innings, striking out four and walking three (no decision).
Corsentino suffered the loss after yielding three earned runs on two hits with two walks in 2 2/3 innings of relief.
Phillips allowed two inherited baserunners to score in the ninth (had stranded all seven inherited runners entering the game).
KU scored the game's final four runs after the Wildcats led 3-1 through five innings.
Hegarty pitched into the ninth inning, earning the win after giving up three earned on 10 hits.
Hegarty walked one, coming in the ninth inning, and struck out three.
Ahuna led the Kansas offense with three hits and two RBI.
Ahuna tied the game with a solo home run in the eighth and singled in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth.
Kansas hit two solo home runs, one from Ahuna and one from Upshaw.
K-State was hitless with runners in scoring position (0-for-5) while going 2-for-12 with runners on base.
The Jayhawks went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position and 3-for-12 with men on base.

NOTES

K-State leads the Dillons Sunflower Showdown 181-177-1 (41-31 Big 12), dating back to 1897.
K-State is 103-82-1 at home, as this was the first Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Tointon Family Stadium since 2018.
The Cats are now 17-6 at home and have won eight of the last 11 at Tointon Family Stadium.
The Wildcats have hit multiple home runs 21 times (14-7).
Fifty of the K-State's 68 home runs have come at home.
Phillips' home run moved him into a ninth-place tie on K-State's extra-base hit list with 79.

UP NEXT
The 2022 Dillons Sunflower Showdown continues Saturday at 4 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. The game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and with radio coverage on the K-State Sports Radio Network. Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/Watch.

Next Event

Team Stats

Kaelen Culpepper

Dylan Phillips

Justin Mitchell

Dominic Johnson

Players Mentioned

Blake Corsentino

Kaelen Culpepper

Griffin Hassall

Jeff Heinrich

Cole Johnson

Justin Mitchell

Josh Nicoloff

Dylan Phillips

Cameron Uselton

Players Mentioned

Blake Corsentino

Kaelen Culpepper

Griffin Hassall

Jeff Heinrich

Cole Johnson

Justin Mitchell

Josh Nicoloff

Dylan Phillips

Cameron Uselton

Kansas State University Athletics