The Wildcat battle began in Arizona’s favor. Third baseman Nate Novitske had the only run of the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead over the visiting Wildcats. Kansas State went scoreless in the top of the second as well, but things seemed better in the bottom half as the Wildcats’ starter Robert Fortenberry managed to get two outs fairly quickly.
Left-handed starter Lincoln Sheffield pitched a complete game, striking out 10 batters and allowing just one run as he anchored Kansas State to an 11-1 victory in eight innings.
The battle between the Wildcats was fierce, going inning for inning until both teams scored late into the game.
The first five and a half innings were silenced between starting pitchers, Owen Kramkowski for Arizona and James Guyette for K-State.
Tanner Duke got the evening started for Kansas State on the mound, but that didn’t faze Omaha. The Mavericks built momentum early, as they started the top of the first with two runs and a home run to deep center field from designated hitter Nick Riggs. The Wildcats stayed quiet during the bottom of the first, responding with zero runs.
Kansas State scored four runs in the seventh inning and five runs in the eighth inning to take a 13-9 lead, which they would hold on to for a comeback victory over Oklahoma State.
The Wildcats nine unanswered runs came after a power surge from the Cowboys that saw them hit five home runs in the afternoon, including three over the sixth and seventh innings.
The Friday night lights turned on for Kansas State as they matched up against Oklahoma State in game one of the ‘Cats second home series of the week.
The Wildcats started James Guyette on the hill, who pitched seven innings and gave up three runs on three hits. Guyette had a career high 12 strikeouts as well, bolstering K-State to a 11-3 win against the Cowboys.
Both purple lineups managed to secure a win, setting up the series decider in game 3. Unfortunately for Kansas State, Texas Christian would take control early and remain in charge for the duration of all nine innings, securing a 4-0 win.
Despite the weather changing from cold and rainy during game one to sunny and breezy during game two, the competition and winning mindset remained the same for Kansas State.
A tie game going into the eighth inning creates an intense atmosphere, and one that the Wildcats have continued to face this season. While throws from the mound were not the best for K-State early, the...
