On a night where offense was in short supply and they saw their catcher get thrown out of the game, the Kansas State Wildcats did what they’ve done numerous times so far this Baseball season….find a way to win.
A pair of freshman pitchers combined to shutdown a potent Kansas lineup and a huge home run provided the difference as Kansas State downed the Jayhawks 4-3 Friday night in the opening game of a three-game Big 12 Conference Series before 2,090 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence. K-State led 3-0 after four and a half innings on a pair of sacrifice flies and a run-scoring single off the bat of Tanner Witt. After the Jayahwks cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Wildcat catcher Blair DeBord was ejected from the game for arguing a fair ball call with the home plate umpire, he was replaced behind the plate by Alex Bee. In the top of the sixth inning Mitch Meyer hit his fourth home run of the season, a towering shot that would end up providing the difference in the game. KU scored single runs in the seventh and ninth innings but K-State was able to hang on to move 20 games above the .500 mark and into sole possession of first place in the Big 12. Oklahoma fell 4-3 to rival Oklahoma State in the first game of the Bedlam Series Friday night in Tulsa and West Virgnia was rained out.
Shane Conlon was the hitting star for the Bat Cats with three hits on the night, Meyer’s home run was one of his two hits.
On the pitching side, Levi MaVorhis (5-0) combined with closer Jake Matthys for eight and a third innings of solid pitching as Matthys also picked up his fifth save of the season.
Kansas State (35-15, 12-7) is back in action on Saturday against KU in the middle game of this crucial series for both teams. First pitch at Hoglund Ballpark is set for 2 p.m.
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