Kansas State scored 20 runs on 15 hits and set the single-game record for most home runs in a game with eight as they powered their way to victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 20-7.
The Wildcats got things going right away as they hit three home runs in the first inning to jump out to an early 5-0 lead. Shortstop Dee Kennedy and first baseman Ty Smolinski hit two of the first-inning home runs and were leaders of the Wildcats offense all day as both finished with six RBIs.
“A good weekend,” K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. “We accomplished what we set out to do, and that was to build momentum up for this upcoming week. We really closed the gap and took that next step to becoming a really good team.”
Overall, Kennedy was four-for-five on the day, which included tying the single-game record for home runs in a game with three today. Smolinski finished his day going four-for-four and smashed two home runs in the afternoon as well.
In the third inning, designated hitter Micah Kendrick crushed another home run for the Wildcats, which was also his second on the day. The group of Kendrick, Kennedy and Smolinski finished the day with seven home runs and drove in 15 of the K-State runners.
While those three carried the Wildcats’ offense, outfielder Carlos Vasquez had a productive day of homering and driving in two runners, with catcher Bear Madliak contributing two RBIs for the offense as well.
With K-State scoring 20 runs, the game ended in the seventh inning via mercy rule, which wouldn’t have been possible without the start from left-handed pitcher Lincoln Sheffield. On the mound, Sheffield struck out eight batters and allowed just three hits and three earned runs.
Sheffield limited the SIUE offense and got the hot Wildcats’ bats back up to the plate despite giving up a run in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, the Cougars hit a pair of two-run home runs, one coming off Sheffield, to make the game 15-5. But the K-State offense scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead to 20-5.
SIUE would hit another two-run home run in the top of the seventh, but that would not be enough as the 10-run mercy rule ended the game with a 20-7 victory for the Wildcats. K-State in total scored 42 runs over the weekend series, which was needed after the offense had slipped a little the past few weeks.
“I wanted to get our offense going, and we did that this weekend,” Hughes said. “The conditions were offensive, and we took advantage of it. We had some really good swings, some good approaches, and put three real solid games together.”
SIUE was the preseason pick to win the Ohio Valley conference this season, and is carried by its strong pitching staff. While K-State was the better team on paper, they flexed their muscles against the conference favorite. The series against the Cougars was their last weekend series against a non-conference opponent, as K-State will begin Big 12 play against Houston next week.
First, the Wildcats will have two more non-conference weekday games as they host Wichita State on Tuesday, March 10, with first pitch coming at 6 p.m. The next day, South Dakota State will come to Manhattan for a game as well, with first pitch at 6 p.m. Both games can be watched on ESPN+.
