Friday: K-State 7 Utah 6
With back-to-back blasts by Shintaro Inoue and Bear Madliak, K-State rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off Utah, 7-6, in Big 12 opener at Tointon Family Stadium Friday night.
In the first conference meeting between the two schools, K-State (10-7, 1-0 Big 12) carried a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning behind starter Jacob Frost. After four scoreless innings, Utah (11-6, 0-1 Big 12) plated five runs in a three-inning span to stretch out to a three-run lead and back Colter McAnelly’s seven-inning start.
Down 6-4, Inoue launched the game-tying home run that scored Keegan O’Connor, who led off the inning with a double into left center. With the score tied at six, Madliak barreled a 3-1 pitch, sending out his second home run of the season to capture K-State’s third consecutive Big 12 opening win.
Frost allowed just two hits in the first inning, before retiring 12 consecutive batters. The senior left-hander surrendered four earned runs on four hits in his no-decision effort, matching a career-high six strikeouts and walking three.
McAnelly, who logged 103 pitches in his seven-inning start, scattered just two hits in the opening frame before retiring 16 straight batters to allow Utah to build its lead. McAnelly ended the night allowing four earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk, before handing the ball over to Cameron Neilson. Neilson (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing the final three runs of the game.
Sophomore James Guyette (1-1) was awarded his first collegiate victory, after taking over for reliever Adam Arther in eighth, who retired all three batters he faced.
In the last meeting between the two squads in 2020, Utah rallied to scrape across two runs in the bottom of the ninth disrupt a no-hit bid and walk off K-State.
Seven different Wildcats contributed Friday led by multi-hit efforts from Kyan Lodice and Dee Kennedy. Lodice went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Kennedy was 2-for-3 with one run batted in.
AJ Evasco, a true freshman out of Lincoln, Neb., totaled a game-high three RBI – his third multi-RBI performance of the season.
Saturday: K-State 13 Utah 2
The Wildcats used three home runs to back Michael Quevedo’s quality start and clinch their first Big 12 series of the season, as K-State topped Utah, 13-2, Saturday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium.
Three Wildcats (11-7, 2-0 Big 12) homered in K-State’s fifth straight win at home, starting with a two-run homer from catcher Bear Madliak – his second of the series. Maximus Martin, the Golden Spikes and Brooks Wallace Award National Player of the Week, would stretch the Cats’ lead to eight with his second grand slam of the season. Keegan O’Connor recorded the third home run of the game with his leadoff solo blast in the fourth.
Quevedo (3-0) produced his first quality outing in his fifth start as a Wildcat, after holding the Utes (11-7, 0-2 Big 12) to two earned runs on eight hits over six frames. The senior left-hander fanned seven batters and scattered eight hits without allowing a walk.
In relief of Quevedo, lefty Brody Roe fired three scoreless innings to pick up his first save in a K-State uniform, while limiting the Utes to three hits.
True freshman AJ Evasco was 3-for-5 with an RBI, recording his third multi-hit game of the season. In addition to Evasco, Dee Kennedy, O’Connor, and Martin each recorded multiple hits, as seven Wildcats registered a base hit in the game.
With Saturday’s victory Utah (11-7, 0-2 Big 12), K-State clinched its fifth consecutive weekend series at home and fourth straight over a Big 12 opponent at Tointon Family Stadium, dating back to the series win over Oklahoma State last season.
K-State hit .381 (8-for-21) with runners on base and .429 (6-for-14) in scoring position. Utah was 4-for-21 (.190) with men on and 2-for-11 (.182) in scoring position.
Sunday: K-State 14 Utah 2 (7 innings)
Behind a complete game from Lincoln Sheffield, K-State opened Big 12 play with a series sweep for the first time since 2010, cruising to a 14-2, seven-inning victory over Utah Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium.
Leading 8-2 heading into the final frame, K-State erupted for six runs, capped by home runs from Kyan Lodice and AJ Evasco to secure the run-rule victory and extend the Wildcats’ home winning streak to six. With the win, K-State improves to 12-7 on the year and 3-0 in conference play, while Utah fell to 11-8 and 0-3 in its inaugural Big 12 season.
In K-State’s first Big 12 opening weekend sweep in 15 years, the Wildcats out-scored the Utes, 34-10 in the series and hit .360 (36-for-100) with 15 extra-base hits, including seven home runs to end the weekend. The pitching staff boasted a 3.60 ERA and issued just five walks against 24 strikeouts.
In his fifth start of the year, Sheffield (4-1) was awarded his fourth consecutive victory. The left-hander from Flowood, Mississippi, finished his outing with a season-high nine strikeouts, including striking out the side in the fifth.
Sheffield produced his third quality start, and after allowing a leadoff single in the first, he retired nine consecutive batters to allow the Cats to build a 4-0 lead. He surrendered two earned runs in the fourth and scattered three hits over the next three frames as he registered his first complete game at K-State.
All nine position players recorded a hit led by three-hit days from Evasco and Lodice, while true freshman Donte Lewis turned in his first collegiate multi-hit game. Evasco, who delivered his second walk-off homer of the season, ended the day 3-for-4 and drove in a game-leading four RBI.
Shortstop Maximus Martin drove in a pair of runs to turn in his team-high eighth game with multiple RBI, while Evasco’s four RBI moved him to second on the team (6).
Sunday’s win marks the 18th Big 12 sweep for K-State and 37th overall series victory in a three or more-game series in the Hughes era.
