From K-State Athletics
Will Brennan and Zach Kokoska each homered while Dylan Phillips had a three-hit night as K-State went on to a 9-2 win over Omaha Tuesday night at Werner Park.
K-State (20-22) used a five-run first, including a two-run home run by Kokoska, as it plated eight of its nine runs in the first three innings. Phillips, an Omaha native, equaled his career high with three hits, ending 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Four different Wildcats drove in multiple runs on the night.
“It’s tough going on the road mid-week after an emotional series,” head coach Pete Hughes said after the game. “Pretty indicative of what kind of team we have when we score eight in the first three innings. There was nobody feeling sorry for themselves because we had to travel mid-week. They got down to business and controlled the energy of the night and beat a really good team.”
Kokoska’s two-run home run sparked a stretch of four straight hits with two outs in the top of the first. Terrence Spurlin delivered an RBI single in the inning, as K-State racked up five base hits and chased Omaha starter Jacob Alcorn after he recorded just two outs.
Kokoska’s homer extended his season-long hitting streak to 11 games and tied him for the club lead with six on the season. The Wildcats swept the home-and-home series with Omaha (24-11-1) and snapped the Mavericks’ three-game winning streak.
Littlejim helped his own cause with a two-RBI single off reliever Jackson Gordon with the bases loaded in the first, as the Cats brought 10 to the plate and took a 5-0 lead on six hits before the Mavericks came to the plate.
Brennan tacked on a solo home run to lead off the second inning. In the third, Spurlin added an RBI triple followed by an RBI single by Rainer Ausmus put the score at 8-0.
Littlejim held the Mavericks hitless over three innings. The junior two-way player picked up his third straight win and moving his record to 4-1 on the year.
Thomas Debonville tallied Omaha’s first base hit on the night with a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Andrew Stratman. Stratman had limited UNO without a hit over his first two innings of work.
Beginning with Debonville’s single, Omaha strung together three straight hits to start the sixth, resulting in its first run of the game on an RBI single by Matt Bondarchuk. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Keil Krumwiede put two on the board for the Mavs in the sixth.
Stratman’s night ended after 2 1/3 innings with two runs allowed on three hits and a strikeout.
Freshman Eric Torres entered the game with two on and one out in the sixth and induced a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the inning. The freshman lefty went on to strike out the side in the seventh and finished with five strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings.
Littlejim, Torres and Mitch Zubradt did not allow a hit in the game, as K-State surrendered a season-low three base hits as a staff. Zubradt struck out the side in the ninth inning.
Brennan went 2-for-5 with two RBI while Spurlin drove in two and went 2-for-4 with a triple. Eight different Wildcats recorded a hit on the night while four produced multi-RBI efforts.
Alcorn took the loss for the Mavs after allowing five earned runs on five hits in 2/3 of an inning.
