Kansas State and Nebraska faced off in a standalone contest to close the season series on Tuesday, with the Cornhuskers out for revenge after falling in Manhattan on March 25.
Unlike the first game, this matchup was competitive the entire night, with the game coming down to the final out. In the bottom of the ninth, K-State led 6-4, but Nebraska loaded the bases with two outs.
Nebraska outfielder Gabe Swansen faced left-handed pitcher Lincoln Sheffield in a 1-0 count and hit a double down the left field line, scoring all three runners to win the game for the Cornhuskers.
The team’s 9th straight road loss will be a difficult one for K-State to swallow, as the Wildcats were close to a tough-fought road victory and would’ve stacked a big win for their RPI and NCAA tournament standing.
“We did a lot of really good things tonight,” head coach Pete Hughes said to K-State Athletics. “We played great from behind, took the lead, and expanded it in the ninth. Unfortunately, you have to get 27 outs to win – 26 doesn’t do it.”
Starting on the mound for the Wildcats was right-handed pitcher Tanner Duke, who has carved a nice role as a midweek starter. Duke continued his solid outings as he gave the Wildcats five innings and allowed no earned runs before turning the game over to the bullpen.
Out of the bullpen, left-handed pitcher Adam Arther came in with multiple runners on the basepaths, and he escaped the jam while retiring six of the seven batters he faced.
The Wildcats were the first team to strike as in the third inning, Shintaro Inoue doubled to score David Bishop for the first run of the game. However, in the bottom of the third, Nebraska answered with a run of its own to tie it back up immediately.
K-State broke the tie in the sixth, scoring a run on a walk, but were unable to plate any more runs, leaving three runners stranded. Like the third inning, Nebraska answered in the same inning but this time scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead.
Now it was the Wildcats’ turn to answer, and they did by scoring three runs themselves to take the lead back at 5-4. In the ninth, the Wildcats scored a run on a Nebraska error and got a big insurance run to make it a 6-4 lead. However, Nebraska’s walk-off double would be the final lead change.
One of the issues K-State faced in the contest was putting the ball in play, as Nebraska struck out 14 K-State hitters throughout the game. The Wildcats also were just 2-15 with runners in scoring position, as the Wildcats had scoring threats all evening but could never get the big hit.
Bishop led the way for the Wildcats with two hits, while Sam Flores continued his hot streak of late with three RBI.
K-State will now turn its focus to the upcoming series against BYU that starts on Thursday this week and goes through Saturday, looking to snap the Wildcats’ road woes.
