MANHATTAN, KS. (K-State) – K-State starting pitcher Owen Boerema turned in eight shutout innings to help the Wildcats complete a three-game sweep of Missouri State on a chilly, windy Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium, 11-3.
“Everything begins and ends with a good start, and we got a great start today from Owen,” head coach Pete Hughes said on his team’s fifth straight victory. “I thought he was awesome. It was a tough day offensively, but he was so good he bought us time to create a big inning.”
Boerema (2-1) used a season-high 112 pitches to get through his career-long outing and did not allow a run in his sixth career quality start at K-State. The graduate from Litchfield, Minn., scattered just two hits in his seventh start of the season.
The left-hander allowed just one hit over a seven-inning stretch, as he retired 24 of 27 batters he faced with five strikeouts. Boerema’s eight innings was the longest outing by a Wildcat since April 14, 2019, by major leaguer Jordan Wicks in a 2-0 shutout over Texas.
The Wildcats scored nine runs over a three-inning span, including a five-run sixth to secure the series sweep.
“Our guys have recognized when the big inning is coming in and how to take advantage of that lately, and that was the story of the game but a really good weekend against a really good team for our program,” said Hughes.
Kaelen Culpepper led the Wildcat (13-6) offense, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Brady Day and Danniel Rivera each had two-hit days, while Rivera drove in a season-high four runs and Raphael Pelletier drove in two RBIs.
Bears’ (9-9) starter Tyler Charlton was credited with the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
THE RUNDOWN
Chuck Ingram walked to lead off the bottom of the first frame before advancing to third on a double by Culpepper before K-State capitalized on a throwing error by the catcher to score the first run of the game.
K-State doubled its lead in the fourth, as Day and Nick English strung together a pair of hits before Day scored on a grounder to second from Rivera.
After the third 1-2-3 inning behind Boerema, the Wildcats quickly loaded the bases in the sixth before a run was walked in to extend the lead to three. With no outs, Rivera roped a one-two pitch to center to drive in two runs. Pelletier and Jayden Lobliner each recorded an RBI in the Cats’ five-run inning.
The Wildcats used three hits in the next frame to add three runs to the board before Mason Schwalbach recorded his first career home run at K-State to pin the final run to the board in the eighth.
The Bears scored all three runs in the final inning with hits by pinch hitter William Zareh and Dylan Leach.
