Despite a solo home run from Micah Kendrick, Kansas State baseball’s offensive struggles continued Saturday afternoon as No. 18 West Virginia secured the series win with a 9-1 victory at Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ball Park.
The loss marks the Wildcats’ (26-21, 9-14 Big 12) sixth consecutive defeat, their longest losing streak since 2019.
West Virginia starter Chansen Cole (8-1) dominated from the first pitch, tossing the Mountaineers’ first complete game of the season. Cole silenced the K-State bats, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out nine and walking only one on 120 pitches.
“Our guys played hard,” head coach Pete Hughes said. “We had some quality at-bats throughout, but they didn’t pay off. In the end, we didn’t play adequate enough defense to win.”
The Wildcats’ defense struggled early, committing three errors on the day. After West Virginia broke a scoreless tie in the second inning with a Gavin Kelly solo home run, a K-State throwing error allowed two unearned runs to cross, giving the Mountaineers an early 3-0 lead.
West Virginia (30-12, 15-8 Big 12) extended their lead with three more runs across the fourth and fifth innings against K-State starter Lincoln Sheffield (6-2). Sheffield took the loss after surrendering six runs, only three of which were earned, on 10 hits over five innings.
K-State finally ended a 17-inning scoreless drought in the sixth when Kendrick led off the frame with a solo home run to right field. The home run was Kendrick’s fifth of the year, making him the ninth Wildcat to reach that mark this season.
The home run also served as a milestone for the Wildcats, who have now homered in 33 of 47 games. Their 76 home runs this season rank fifth all-time in school history.
However, the momentum was short-lived. In the bottom half of the sixth, Sean Smith answered with a three-run home run to push the Mountaineer lead to 9-1 and effectively put the game out of reach.
While the Wildcats managed just five hits from four different players, West Virginia’s lineup remained relentless. All nine Mountaineer starters recorded a hit, totaling 15 in the afternoon, with Armani Guzman leading the charge, going 3-for-5.
One bright spot for the purple and white came in the ninth inning, as Ethan Giesbrecht made his first appearance out of the bullpen since joining the program, throwing a scoreless inning to close out the game.
K-State will look to avoid the sweep in the series finale tomorrow. First pitch in Morgantown is scheduled for 12 p.m.
