‘Showed Up to Get a Sweep’
Apr 17, 2023 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
So much can be written about how Kansas State slugged, outlasted and swept Kansas across the wind-gusted field at Hoglund Ballpark, 21-18, on Sunday in the highest-scoring Dillons Sunflower Showdown ever in a series that dates to 1897. But perhaps here's a good place to start: Roberto Pena hit a home run over the right field wall. Then the Wildcats loaded the bases and Kyan Lodice belted a grand slam over the centerfield wall. Then Kaelen Culpepper blasted a 425-foot homer out to left center. Then a KU pitching change. Then four more K-State runs.
K-State sent 17 players to the plate and scored 13 runs on 12 hits. In the second inning. Alone.
K-State led KU 13-0 with just two innings into the game. In the second inning alone, K-State posted its most runs in Lawrence in a single game since scoring 24 runs on May 3, 1997. One day after K-State outlasted KU, 6-1, following a four-hour delayed start to clinch its first series win in Lawrence since 2015, the Wildcats survived a fireworks display for their first series sweep over the Jayhawks in a decade.
The marathon game lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes.
"It's one of our program goals every year — beat KU," K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. "To be able to get a sweep in conference on the road, those are tough to come by. That's big for our resume for the end of the year. Road sweeps are like gold. Those are really hard to come by. It's a great accomplishment for our guys."
K-State moved to 24-14 overall and 9-6 in the Big 12 Conference — alone in second place in the league standings.
What's it mean to be in second place?
"It means we have to take the next step," Hughes said, "and be the first-place team."
K-State has reached nine league wins faster than any team in school history, has reached nine league wins faster than any team in the Big 12 this season, and has improved its winning streak to four heading toward Tuesday's 6 p.m. meeting against Wichita State at Tointon Family Stadium.
One Kansas player used Ice Cube's "I Gotta Say It Was A Good Day" as his walk-up music, and it was certainly a great day for hitters, as K-State and Kansas combined for 35 hits and the most runs in a Big 12 game since at least 2011. The hit parade included Kansas sophomore Chase Jans, who answered with a grand slam of his own to draw to within 13-7 in the third inning. Jans finished with nine RBI.
"It wasn't enjoyable from a coaching standpoint, not at all," Hughes said. "It was a great day for the hitters. I think they were the only ones who enjoyed today. I'm just glad we got the win, but those weren't baseball conditions. Anything elevated was going to leave the park or bang off the wall.
"You just had to get yourself in a different frame of mind because the day is going to be different and everyone knows it. Don't look at the scoreboard and keep playing. It takes mental discipline and toughness. Our guys did that."
But, really, here's what happened on Sunday: On a sunny, 56-degree day in Lawrence, wind gusts reached 45 miles-per-hour from out of the northwest, and it was a truly rough day for baseball, but the Wildcats jumped on top fast and the wind-whipped Jayhawks appeared to head south faster than geese wearing jetpacks before mounting their comeback.
Kansas used a total of nine pitchers in the game but they couldn't solve the Wildcats. K-State had four home runs, including two from Culpepper, and a season-high 19 hits. Every K-State starter had a hit and seven batters had multi-hit efforts.
"We're building this thing, and we feel great about our program and our kids," Hughes said. "We need to keep closing that gap being good to great. This weekend was a big step toward doing that."
Leading 13-7, K-State scored four runs in the fourth inning, as Cash Rugely singled to score Cole Johnson, then Lodice singled to score Brendan Jones, Brady Day singled through the right side to score Rugely, and Culpepper hit a sac-fly to center field to score Lodice for a 17-7 advantage.
When KU hit a home run, and then loaded the bases with no outs on junior right-hander Shay Hartis, Hughes inserted sophomore right-hander Kyler Heyne, and he gave up a two-run double. The Wildcats led, 17-10.
The score quickly moved again after back-to-back doubles in the fifth. Johnson doubled and Jones doubled to score Johnson to make it 18-10. However, the Wildcats left the bases loaded as Culpepper fouled out to end the inning.
Hughes went with sophomore right-hander Ty Ruhl with two outs and baserunners on second and third in the bottom of the sixth. But Jans hit a fastball for a ground-rule double and two runs scored to trim the Wildcats' lead to 18-12. A single scored Jans to make it 18-13.
After a quiet seventh inning for both teams, Culpepper belted a three-run homer for a 21-13 lead in the top of the eighth. It marked Culpepper's first two-run home run performance in his career while six RBI also marked a career high.
Kansas answered by plating four in the eighth to make it 21-17 before All-America candidate closer Tyson Neighbors relieved Ruhl at the mound. After Neighbors handled business, the Wildcats were unable to produce a run in the top of the ninth.
Kansas scored one last-gasp run.
But K-State held on to gain its first sweep against Kansas in a decade in the highest-scoring Sunflower Showdown in history on a windy afternoon that we'll remember for a while.
"Our guys came out with energy," Hughes said. "They owned the energy in that stadium for three straight games. We dictated the tempo and energy of the ball game all three games and that's tough to do on the road.
"Our guys weren't satisfied with a series win. Our guys showed up today to get a sweep."
So much can be written about how Kansas State slugged, outlasted and swept Kansas across the wind-gusted field at Hoglund Ballpark, 21-18, on Sunday in the highest-scoring Dillons Sunflower Showdown ever in a series that dates to 1897. But perhaps here's a good place to start: Roberto Pena hit a home run over the right field wall. Then the Wildcats loaded the bases and Kyan Lodice belted a grand slam over the centerfield wall. Then Kaelen Culpepper blasted a 425-foot homer out to left center. Then a KU pitching change. Then four more K-State runs.
K-State sent 17 players to the plate and scored 13 runs on 12 hits. In the second inning. Alone.
K-State led KU 13-0 with just two innings into the game. In the second inning alone, K-State posted its most runs in Lawrence in a single game since scoring 24 runs on May 3, 1997. One day after K-State outlasted KU, 6-1, following a four-hour delayed start to clinch its first series win in Lawrence since 2015, the Wildcats survived a fireworks display for their first series sweep over the Jayhawks in a decade.
The marathon game lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes.
"It's one of our program goals every year — beat KU," K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. "To be able to get a sweep in conference on the road, those are tough to come by. That's big for our resume for the end of the year. Road sweeps are like gold. Those are really hard to come by. It's a great accomplishment for our guys."
K-State moved to 24-14 overall and 9-6 in the Big 12 Conference — alone in second place in the league standings.
What's it mean to be in second place?
"It means we have to take the next step," Hughes said, "and be the first-place team."
K-State has reached nine league wins faster than any team in school history, has reached nine league wins faster than any team in the Big 12 this season, and has improved its winning streak to four heading toward Tuesday's 6 p.m. meeting against Wichita State at Tointon Family Stadium.
One Kansas player used Ice Cube's "I Gotta Say It Was A Good Day" as his walk-up music, and it was certainly a great day for hitters, as K-State and Kansas combined for 35 hits and the most runs in a Big 12 game since at least 2011. The hit parade included Kansas sophomore Chase Jans, who answered with a grand slam of his own to draw to within 13-7 in the third inning. Jans finished with nine RBI.
"It wasn't enjoyable from a coaching standpoint, not at all," Hughes said. "It was a great day for the hitters. I think they were the only ones who enjoyed today. I'm just glad we got the win, but those weren't baseball conditions. Anything elevated was going to leave the park or bang off the wall.
"You just had to get yourself in a different frame of mind because the day is going to be different and everyone knows it. Don't look at the scoreboard and keep playing. It takes mental discipline and toughness. Our guys did that."
But, really, here's what happened on Sunday: On a sunny, 56-degree day in Lawrence, wind gusts reached 45 miles-per-hour from out of the northwest, and it was a truly rough day for baseball, but the Wildcats jumped on top fast and the wind-whipped Jayhawks appeared to head south faster than geese wearing jetpacks before mounting their comeback.
Kansas used a total of nine pitchers in the game but they couldn't solve the Wildcats. K-State had four home runs, including two from Culpepper, and a season-high 19 hits. Every K-State starter had a hit and seven batters had multi-hit efforts.
"We're building this thing, and we feel great about our program and our kids," Hughes said. "We need to keep closing that gap being good to great. This weekend was a big step toward doing that."
Leading 13-7, K-State scored four runs in the fourth inning, as Cash Rugely singled to score Cole Johnson, then Lodice singled to score Brendan Jones, Brady Day singled through the right side to score Rugely, and Culpepper hit a sac-fly to center field to score Lodice for a 17-7 advantage.
When KU hit a home run, and then loaded the bases with no outs on junior right-hander Shay Hartis, Hughes inserted sophomore right-hander Kyler Heyne, and he gave up a two-run double. The Wildcats led, 17-10.
The score quickly moved again after back-to-back doubles in the fifth. Johnson doubled and Jones doubled to score Johnson to make it 18-10. However, the Wildcats left the bases loaded as Culpepper fouled out to end the inning.
Hughes went with sophomore right-hander Ty Ruhl with two outs and baserunners on second and third in the bottom of the sixth. But Jans hit a fastball for a ground-rule double and two runs scored to trim the Wildcats' lead to 18-12. A single scored Jans to make it 18-13.
After a quiet seventh inning for both teams, Culpepper belted a three-run homer for a 21-13 lead in the top of the eighth. It marked Culpepper's first two-run home run performance in his career while six RBI also marked a career high.
Kansas answered by plating four in the eighth to make it 21-17 before All-America candidate closer Tyson Neighbors relieved Ruhl at the mound. After Neighbors handled business, the Wildcats were unable to produce a run in the top of the ninth.
Kansas scored one last-gasp run.
But K-State held on to gain its first sweep against Kansas in a decade in the highest-scoring Sunflower Showdown in history on a windy afternoon that we'll remember for a while.
"Our guys came out with energy," Hughes said. "They owned the energy in that stadium for three straight games. We dictated the tempo and energy of the ball game all three games and that's tough to do on the road.
"Our guys weren't satisfied with a series win. Our guys showed up today to get a sweep."
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