By Chris Kutz, K-State Athletics Communications
(Photo Courtesy K-State Athletics)
K-State tallied its second-highest total of runs this season, with the help of a season-high 14 walks and six Arkansas State errors, as the Wildcats beat the Red Wolves, 16-5, on Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium to even the three-game series.
A day after drawing 11 walks in the series opener, K-State (22-24) set a new season-best in base on balls to help make up its 31 baserunners that reached via hits (12), walks (14), hit by pitches (2) and errors (3). Nine of the 11 Wildcat hitters drew at least one walk while eight of them reached base safely two or more times.
“We had a better plate discipline today,” said K-State head coach Brad Hill. “There were a lot of walks, and it was kind of an ugly game, to be honest. Both sides had a lot of errors and were not sharp. It was not a real pretty game, but I am glad that the outcome was still on our side.”
Danny Krause led all hitters by reaching five times with two hits and three walks, which matched his career-high. He was one of the 10 Wildcats to score at least one run, with his run scored occurring in K-State’s six-run third that made it 7-1.
The crooked third was sparked by a two-error play on a Max Brown bunt single and a two-run single by Clayton Dalrymple. Brown’s bunt single helped put a pair of runners in scoring position for Dalrymple, who finished the game with three RBIs. His final RBI came in K-State’s seven-run seventh when he drew a bases-loaded walk.
“(Dalrymple) got the big hit for us (in the third),” said Hill. “We got the bases loaded (in the first and second innings) and could not get the big hit, but Clayton got the hit in right-center to spring us forward.”
In addition to Krause, Tyler Wolfe notched a multi-hit game, his second straight, by going 2-for-5 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. The junior drove in two runs in the seventh with a double to right field that was misplayed by Arkansas State right fielder Ty Michelotti, who lost the fly ball in the sun.
Keith Browning also drove in two runs in the seventh with a pinch-hit, two-run single that made it 12-5 K-State. Browning and Wolfe joined Steve Serratore and Dalrymple as the quartet of Wildcats with multi-RBI efforts. Serratore plated his two runs in the third with a single that scored Jake Wodtke and Krause to make it 6-1 Wildcats.
The Wildcats scored 11 of their 16 runs in the game with two outs, including one in the second, three in the third and all seven in the seventh. The two-out run in the second, which was scored by Alex Bee on a throwing error by Arkansas State on a grounder hit by Wolfe, evened the game at 1-1.
K-State starting pitcher Nate Griep earned his fourth win of the season after striking out seven, falling one short of his career-high, in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander surrendered four runs on seven hits and three walks.
Zach George of Arkansas State (19-25) drove in three of the Red Wolves’ five runs, all off Griep. The third baseman drew a bases-loaded walk in the second to give Arkansas State a 1-0 lead, while in the fourth, he hit a two-out, two-run double to close the gap to four runs at 7-3 K-State.
Arkansas State starting pitcher Adam Grantham took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit and six walks in two-plus innings. The right-hander started the third inning, but he issued a leadoff walk to Tyler Moore, who came around to score on Dalrymple’s two-run single that made it 3-1 K-State.
For the sixth straight weekend, K-State and its opponents will meet in a series-deciding third game as the Wildcats and Red Wolves will square off on Sunday at 1 p.m. Right-hander Bryce Ward will make his first career start for the Wildcats, facing Arkansas State left-hander Jon Glidewell.
