From K-State Athletics
K-State starting pitcher Griffin Hassall scattered three hits over 7 2/3 innings to go with four RBI and a home run from Terrence Spurlin to push the Wildcats to a 7-4 victory over 19th-ranked TCU Thursday night at Tointon Family Stadium.
Hassall’s outing marked a career long, as the freshman right-hander allowed one earned run in earning his second collegiate victory (2-1). Spurlin ended the night 3-for-4 to give K-State (18-21, 4-6 Big 12) its fifth win in its last six games – three coming against top-25 teams.
“He just loves the big moments,” said head coach Pete Hughes of Hassall. “Pitching a true freshman on a Friday night against a team like TCU, it doesn’t bother him. He is just trying to execute his next pitch. I’m really not surprised. He can handle it and get himself out of trouble and, more importantly, he makes big pitches when he has to.”
Hassall struck out five while walking one in his second quality start of the season. The Newmarket, Ontario, native sat down 16 of 17 hitters through one stretch, including nine straight. A two-out double by TCU’s Austin Henry in the seventh inning snapped a streak of 27 scoreless innings thrown by the Wildcats, dating back to last Saturday at Texas.
Spurlin drove in three of his four runs in his first two at-bats, with a two-out single in the first before a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Spurlin now has multi-hit efforts in back-to-back games and four home runs on the season.
“He’s a kid who is getting used to playing full time at this level,” Hughes added of Spurlin. “You go through little ruts and then figure out how to make the adjustments. I think he’s doing that right now. But he’s never left that positive mindset and working every day. It puts himself in a really good situation to have some success for us.”
K-State scored multiple runs in three separate innings off TCU ace Nick Lodolo (5-3), who allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in five innings in the loss. Lodolo entered the night as the Big 12’s leader in ERA and second in strikeouts. The Horned Frogs (22-14, 5-5 Big 12) have dropped three straight contests for the first time this season.
Cameron Thompson and Will Brennan helped the Cats get to Lodolo early, as each legged out infield singles to begin the first inning. Thompson would come home on a squeeze bunt executed by Thomas Hughes before Brennan scored on a two-out single by Spurlin to give the Cats a two-run lead after an inning.
Brennan and Thompson both finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Spurlin’s fourth-inning homer doubled the Wildcats’ lead. Zach Kokoska led off the inning with a single and the Cats led 4-0 after four innings. Kokoska extended his season-long hitting streak to eight games.
A three-run fifth extended the K-State lead to seven runs. Caleb Littlejim sparked the inning with a leadoff double and scored on a single by Brennan. Hughes drove in his second run of the game with an RBI groundout while Brennan scampered home on an infield single by Spurlin.
Henry’s two-out RBI double got the Frogs on the board in the seventh. TCU threatened with three runs (one earned) on three hits in the ninth inning off K-State reliever Andrew Stratman. Henry hit a two-run home run in the ninth and produced TCU’s only multi-hit game.
TCU reliever Dawson Barr retired all nine Wildcat hitters he faced with four strikeouts.
Hassall and Stratman held TCU hitless with runners in scoring position (0-for-3) while the Frogs’ leadoff hitter reached just once.
K-State hit .571 with runners in scoring position with a pair of two-out RBI.
