By Chris Kutz, K-State Athletics Communications
The K-State baseball team was shut out, 8-0, in the series opener against No. 7 Oklahoma State on Friday at Tointon Family Stadium.
Oklahoma State starting pitcher Jon Perrin struck out 10 and allowed four K-State hits in his second shutout of the season. The right-hander needed 129 pitches to get through the nine innings.
K-State (24-26, 4-15 Big 12), meanwhile, surrendered 11 hits to the Cowboys (36-13, 14-5 Big 12), including eight in the first three innings that helped drive in five runs. The shutout for Oklahoma State was its first of the Wildcats since April 27, 2012 (5-0 in Manhattan).
“[Perrin] just wore us down, beat us up, and we couldn’t get any spark back offensively,” said K-State head coach Brad Hill. “Down 5-0 early, you have to be able to find some ways to score some runs and at least get some momentum on our side. They just beat us down.”
Of the Wildcats’ four hits, two came in the seventh inning with singles by Austin Fisher and Mitch Meyer. Blair DeBord and Carter Yagi added a hit apiece to make up K-State’s offense. Shane Conlon drew the only K-State walk with a free pass in the fourth.
Oklahoma State jumped on K-State starting pitcher Levi MaVorhis as the right-hander allowed eight hits and five runs in 2 2/3 innings. An extra-base hit in each the first and second innings led to three runs, with Tanner Krietemeier driving in a run with a triple in the first and Bryan Case doubling home Craig McConaughy in the second. Krietemeier also scored in the first on a fielding error by K-State second baseman Carter Yagi on a ground ball hit by Gage Green.
The Cowboys chased MaVorhis from the game in their two-run third inning. After Ross Kivett made a leaping catch near the center field wall for the first out of the inning, MaVorhis surrendered a double and three straight singles to help plate the two Oklahoma State runs.
“[MaVorhis] just left too many pitches up in the zone, and made mistakes at the wrong times,” said Hill. “He didn’t have his changeup, which is kind of his bread and butter.”
The losing decision extended MaVorhis’ personal losing streak to three games. He dropped to 5-7 in his 13 starts this season.
Landon Busch spelled MaVorhis in the third, ending the inning with one of his three strikeouts. The left-hander allowed a two-run home run to Tim Arakawa in the fifth, and was responsible for a run in the seventh when he surrendered a leadoff double to Green. Busch finished the night allowing three runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Jordan Witcig allowed Green to score in the seventh on a wild pitch, but the right-hander did not allow a runner of his own to cross home in three relief innings.
Both Busch and Witcig’s outings were career-highs for innings pitched in a relief outing.
The shutout for K-State, its second in the last five games, was its first at home since March 13, 2013 vs. Northern Colorado. The Wildcats have been shut out three times this season.
The loss extended K-State’s conference losing streak to eight games.
K-State and Oklahoma State will meet in game two of the three-game set on Saturday, May 10 at 2 pm. Right-hander Jake Matthys will take the mound for the Wildcats and face Oklahoma State’s right-hander Tyler Buffett.
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