On a mostly clear, crisp 77-degree night, the stadium lights beaming onto the field signified the stage was set for No. 11 Kansas State to compete in the Big 12 Tournament.
After a dissatisfying first matchup against in-state rivals Kansas, the Kansas State Wildcats came into game two with a wiped-clean mindset. But it wouldn’t be enough to overtake the No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks, who took the victory with a late comeback, 10-8.
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.
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.
Columbia got it going right off the bat, as catcher Owen Eastbrook doubled to right-center off of K-State starter Lincoln Sheffield to reel in two runs in the top of the first. The Wildcats had no response in the bottom of the first, scoring zero runs.
