Cowboys Perfect Run in Big 12 Play Ends with K-State Win
MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the first time since 2010, Oklahoma State lost on Kansas State's home field as the Wildcats claimed a 7-2 win in the series finale Sunday at Tointon Family Stadium. OSU had won 14 games in a row in Manhattan, sweeping the previous four series and the winning the first two games of this one. With the loss, the second-ranked Cowboys fell to 20-8 overall but remain atop the Big 12 standings at 5-1.
Kansas State scored five of its runs in the contest with two outs to improve to 14-13 and 1-5 in the league.
Ryan Ure took the loss on the mound to fall to 0-1 as five different Cowboy pitchers combined to issue seven walks in the game. Offensively, Cowboy first baseman David Mendham was 3-for-4 with a double, while Zach Ehrhard and Marcus Brown collected RBIs for the Pokes.
K-State took the game's first lead in the second. After Bryce Osmond hit Justin Mitchell with a pitch, Kaelen Culpepper doubled into the left-center field gap to put the Wildcats up 1-0.
The Pokes would trail until the fifth when they loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk. Ehrhard then brought home OSU's first run with a walk, but the Cowboys could not add to their lead when Jake Thompson grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The home team went back on top in the bottom of the frame, taking advantage of another free pass with two outs before an RBI double plated a run. The score, which came against Roman Phansalkar, gave K-State a 2-1 lead. Once again, OSU answered. Mendham led off the sixth with a double, and after advancing to third on an infield single, he scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brown to knot the score at 2-2.
But the Wildcats went back to their formula in the seventh as Dylan Phillips drew a two-out walk, and Cole Johnson followed with an RBI double to put K-State back on top by a 3-2 score. K-State used the long ball to extend that lead when Nick Goodwin smacked a two-run home run to right- center field to make it 5-2.
The Wildcats added two insurance runs in the eighth with a pair of solo homers.
The Cowboys return to midweek action Tuesday with a road contest at Wichita State.