K-State suffered another tough week, picking up one win in five games.
The Wildcats finished the week 1-4 record for the second consecutive week. It was how they lost, too. K-State was uncompetitive in three games, shut out twice, and picked up two runs or less in two other games.
Tuesday: The week started with a 7-0 loss at home against former Big 12 rival Nebraska. Nebraska flexed their muscles early, putting up a four-run first inning off Wildcat starter Joey Martin (2-1). Martin only lasted 2/3 of an inning. Four Wildcat relievers pitched the rest of the game. Offensively, the Wildcats managed only four hits off starter Kyle Perry, who went 7 innings for the win.
Wednesday: Things went from bad to worse when the Wildcats took a trip to Columbia to take on another former Big 12 rival, the Missouri Tigers, in a make-up game (rainout) from earlier in the season. The Wildcats fell to MU by the score of 17-2. The Tigers scored all seventeen runs in the first five innings. Wildcat starter Kasey Ford lasted only two innings, surrendering five runs. The K-State bullpen then gave up 11 runs over the last six innings. Brogan Heinen struggled the most, allowing six runs over only 1/3 of an inning.
Friday: The Wildcats opened a weekend series against Creighton with another shut-out loss, 4-0. New Friday starter freshman Griffin Hassall, threw well, keeping the Wildcats in the game. He went 6 2/3 innings and gave up only four runs on 4 hits while striking out 6. But Hassall didn’t get run support. The Wildcats could muster only five hits against Blue Jays’ starter Mitch Ragan (5-1).
Saturday: The Wildcats picked up their only win of the week, 9-2. The Wildcat offense supported freshman starter Jordan Wicks (4-1). Wicks was solid again, throwing 7 innings and allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out nine batters. The Wildcats had 12 hits, including Terrence Spurlin’s four-hit day. Zach Kokoska hit a homer.
Sunday: K-State’s week ended with another embarrassing loss, 11-1. Last Sunday, Wildcats’ head coach, Pete Hughes, decided to bring starter Will Brennan off-the-bench and it paid off against Texas Tech. Hughes tried the same approach against CU and it didn’t work. In his first start of the year, Jaxson Passino promptly gave up four runs in one inning of work. Will Brennan relieved Passino but he was just as ineffective. Brennan gave up four runs in three innings of work. Creighton hurlers limited the Wildcats to four hits on the day.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats (now 13-20, 1-5 in the Big 12) have a four-game week, starting with a Wednesday home game against a strong Nebraska-Omaha squad (20-6-1). Them, over the weekend, the Wildcats will hop back into BIG 12 play with a three-game set in Austin against the always-tough Longhorns (21-13, 4-4). The games will be televised nationally on the Longhorn Network.
