The Wildcats’ weekend road matchup against No. 18 West Virginia didn’t go the way they wanted, as the Mountaineers swept Kansas State, 7-0, 9-1 and 13-6.
“We played losing baseball across the board,” Hughes said. “I say ‘we’ because we all have ownership. Our injuries had nothing to do with today. We played well below our skill level and were poor fundamentally. That’s on me, and it’ll be fixed. You can have injuries as an excuse, but you can’t be poor fundamentally.”
As the ‘Cats are on the longest losing streak — seven games — of the Hughes era, the frustration and need for correction are warranted.
Game 1
Under the Friday night lights, the Mountaineers set the tone inevitably for the whole weekend, defeating K-State, 7-0. Leading off the bats, West Virginia hit an RBI double in the first inning and then added another run in the third to extend their lead to 2-0.
Righty Tazwell Butler helped the Wildcats escape a bases-loaded situation during the fifth inning, with help from center fielder Cadyn Karl. Across five innings, Tazwell allowed three runs on eight hits.
The Mountaineers sealed the win during the seventh, scoring four runs on three hits — including a two-run single and a steal during the inning.
K-State’s offensive game was not at its peak, finishing with four hits and going 0-7 with runners on base.
Game 2
Looking for redemption in the second matchup, K-State struggled on both sides of the ball and couldn’t overtake West Virginia in a 9-1 loss.
Other than a solo homer from Micah Kendrick in the top of the sixth, the Wildcats’ bats were not able to score any others.
The Mountaineers once again dominated, as their defense only allowed one run on five hits and struck out nine ‘Cats. The purple and white struggled on the defensive side as well, committing three errors on the day.
After West Virginia hit a solo homer, the Wildcats allowed two unearned runs due to a throwing error. During the sequence, the Mountaineers took a 3-0 lead going into the fourth.
But the navy and yellow weren’t done, as West Virginia added on three more runs in the fourth and fifth before scoring another three runs in the sixth, sealing the win.
Game 3
Discouraged from the first two games, game three was a good opportunity for K-State to bounce back. Instead, it was another upsetting loss, 13-6.
While the Wildcats’ bats connected with more pitches, the ability to score baserunners was lacking, leaving a total of 10 runners on base by the end of the night.
Adding to the struggles, K-State’s defense was once again inferior, committing another three errors as it did in game three.
Due to a K-State error, the Mountaineers were first on the board in the bottom of the first. However, K-State tied the game, 1-1, in the top of the third, when Bear Madliak walked with the bases loaded, sending Shintaro Inoue home.
The Wildcats had hope after putting up a three-run inning in the top of the eighth, which cut the deficit to 7-4, but West Virginia quickly extended the gap after putting up a six-run inning in the bottom half. K-State tried to rally back, scoring two runs in the top of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to combat the damage the Mountaineers had already inflicted.
The Wildcats looked to have two midweek games, but cancelled them due to forecasted inclement weather. K-State will look to overcome its seven-game losing streak as the team matches up against Cincinnati for a three-game series. First pitch for game one is set for Friday, May 8, at 6 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium.
