GAME 1: K-STATE 12, NEW MEXICO 10
According to a release from K-State Athletics, Jake Scudder’s three-run home run in the seventh inning lifted the Wildcats to a 12-10 comeback victory over New Mexico in the first game of a doubleheader at Tointon Family Stadium.
K-State had nine hits in the game. Four of those hits came in the final two innings as the Wildcats erased a seven-run deficit and scored eight unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth to pick up the victory.
“We just had to stick together as a team,” said Scudder after game one. “It’s a good day to hit, it’s always a good day to hit out here. We knew that we were going to be in a position to score runs late.
“My first two at-bats were kind of ugly but my third one I got a good piece of it. I was sitting on a pitch middle-in and got a good one to hit. I got lucky enough to get it up in the wind and it got out of here.”
The homer was Scudder’s 10th of the season, a new career high, that keeps the senior first baseman atop the Big 12 leaderboard in the category. His 10 bombs are the most by a Wildcat since Wade Hinkle had 10 in 2012.
New Mexico put up an eight-spot in the second inning and led 8-1 after an inning and a half. UNM ended the game with 10 hits from seven different batters in the game. The Lobos had seven different hitters contribute at least one RBI as well.
The Wildcats led off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning on a Cameron Thompson sacrifice fly that plated Brennan.
After already scoring two runs in the second, a Justin Watari double to right-center field scored two more to give the Lobos a 4-1 lead. Another run scored before Carl Stajduhar’s three-run home run broke the game open and gave New Mexico an 8-1 lead.
The Lobos’ eight-run second chased K-State starter Brogan Heinen, who pitched two innings and yielded six hits, three walks and eight earned runs.
K-State got two runs back in the bottom of the second on back-to-back RBI groundouts by Josh Ethier and Brennan, respectively, to chip away at the Lobo lead.
The Wildcats struck again in the bottom of the sixth inning as a Josh Rolette single up the middle scored Kyle Barfield to cut the lead to 8-4.
Wildcat reliever Jared Marolf tossed four scoreless frames, gave up one hit, no runs and struck out three batters to help the Cats crawl back into the game.
Luiz Gonzalez led off the seventh inning with a solo shot off Bryce Ward that extended UNM’s lead to 9-4.
New Mexico starter Carson Schneider exited the game after going six innings and giving up five hits, two walks and four earned runs.
K-State stormed back in the bottom of the seventh behind an RBI double by Thompson and a three-run bomb by Scudder to bring the Wildcats within one run, 9-8.
Ward (1-2) pitched two innings in relief for the Wildcats, allowing just one run on one hit and picking up the victory.
Thompson singled home two runs in the bottom of the eighth to give the Wildcats the lead. Scudder followed with an RBI single of his own and Hanz Harker scored Thompson on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 12-9. Scudder and Thompson each drove in four runs in the game.
Jordan Floyd came on for the ninth, allowed a run but picked up his team-leading seventh save of the season.
GAME 2: K-STATE 3, NEW MEXICO 2
Following a high-scoring affair in game one, Tuesday’s nightcap saw considerably fewer runs. Despite being outhit by New Mexico (8-6), K-State pulled out a 3-2 victory to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Freshman Kasey Ford got his first win as a Wildcat in his first career start, as the 6-6 right-hander allowed just one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks in four innings.
“Great start for Kasey Ford,” said Hill. “The kid has hung in there, hung in there, hung in there with ups and downs of a freshman. His last two or three outings have been more positive and just really happy for him. It was about the pitching this second ballgame.”
K-State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after New Mexico starting pitcher Austin Isenhart walked three straight Wildcat hitters – all with two outs – before Brandon Langan relieved him and proceeded to walk Brennan to bring in the game’s first run.
New Mexico leveled the game at a run apiece in the fourth via a solo homer by shortstop Hayden Schilling.
The Cats promptly responded with two in the home half of the fourth by way of a Josh Ethier RBI groundout and a Brennan RBI single that scored Tyler Eckberg and Connor Rule, respectively, who each singled in the inning.
A hit batter and two singles by the Lobos in the seventh made it a one run game at 3-2 but Eckberg, who was also the designated hitter, came in for the last inning and a third and shut the door for his fourth save of the year.
In relief of Ford, Luke Hauswirth tossed 2 2/3 innings in his fourth appearance of the season, striking out two and allowing one earned run.
Brennan had two of K-State’s six hits and drove in two, as the freshman was the only Wildcat to register a multi-hit or multi-RBI effort in game two.
K-State continues its nine-game homestand with a three-game series with West Virginia beginning Friday at Tointon Family Stadium. Game one is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start and will be broadcast on K-StateHD.TV. The entire series can be heard on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM and streaming free at k-statesports.com.