NORMAN, OK (K-State) – K-State erased a six-run deficit and evened the score seven, but Scott Mudler’s go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave Oklahoma an 8-7 walk-off victory over the Wildcats Sunday afternoon to complete the series sweep at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
K-State (21-13, 7-8 Big 12) crawled out of an early 6-0 hole and battled to tie the game at six until OU (21-14, 11-4 Big 12) took back the lead in the eighth. Chuck Ingram launched a game-tying home run to keep the Cats in the game until a double to right and Mudler’s single scored the game-deciding run.
“Those are the gut-wrenching losses,” said head coach Pete Hughes. “Those are the ones that sting. Our kids fought so hard to get back from a six-run deficit, and then hit a big homerun to tie it back up for a second time. It just felt like it was going to be a win.”
The Cats out-hit OU by a 12-9 count and stranded five baserunners in the game compared to the Sooners’ seven left on base.
“JJ Slack and Tyson Neighbors were outstanding out of our bullpen. They gave us a chance to work our way back in it,” Hughes commented.
“We need to play better, and we will.”
Slack turned in three scoreless innings in relief of starter Blake Dean. The lefty from Liberty, Texas retired nine of 11 batters he faced and left the Sooners without a hit with three strikeouts.
Neighbors (1-1) was tagged for the loss allowing the walk-off single. The junior reliever went three innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
OU utilized three pitchers in the final inning with Ryan Lambert (3-0) picking up the win after recording the final out.
Ingram, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, produced his 15th multi-hit game at K-State with his eighth homer of the season.
K-State got a pair of two-out RBI from Brady Day, while Raphael Pelletier launched his 17th career homer to open the Cats four-run fifth inning. The duo each went 1-for-4, while Kaelen Culpepper and Cayden Phillips each had two-hit days.
THE RUNDOWN
For the second time of the series, OU blew it open with a 6-0 lead, highlighted by a pair of homers by Jaxon Willits.
K-State’s best look to jump on the board early came with a double down the left field line by Nick English for a chance to score Culpepper, who singled to lead off the inning, but was called out at home on the relay throw.
Slack entered the game for Dean in the third with a runner on first and two outs. The graduate walked the first batter he faced before retiring seven consecutive Sooners to keep the Wildcats in the game.
The Wildcats rallied for four runs in the fifth to end the drought as Phillips singled up the middle to start off the inning before scoring on Raphael Pelletier’s blast to right. The Wildcats’ catcher launched his seventh homer of the season and the first homer of the series for K-State.
Day cut the Sooners’ lead to two with his two-out, two-run double into no man’s land in left field.
Down 6-4, Neighbors relieved Slack in the sixth and inherited a runner on first with two outs before fanning the final batter on a called strike.
K-State strung together three consecutive hits from David Bishop, Ingram, and Brendan Jones to make it a one-run ballgame before an RBI grounder to short leveled the score at 6-all.
OU capitalized on fielding error to regain the lead in the eighth but was answered with Ingram’s solo blast to tie the score, 7-7.
With one out, Anthony Mackenzie and Mudler each hit into right to capture the win and complete the sweep.
