Nearing the end of a disappointing season, Kansas University’s baseball team might have found a bit of a silver lining Saturday night.
The Jayhawks defeated Kansas State, 7-3, at Hoglund Ballpark, ending a nine-game home losing streak to the Wildcats and making K-State’s postseason chances a bit dimmer.
Multi-hit games by four players and a strong relief effort by Eric Thompson combined to give coach Bobby Randall his first home win against the Wildcats while keeping them on the outside of the Big 12 Tournament.
“I’m just glad we beat them, the way we did,” right fielder Jesse Gremminger said. “If we win today and tomorrow and that keeps them from getting to the playoffs, that’s pretty good.”
The Wildcats, who defeated KU, 2-1, Friday in Manhattan, loaded the bases in the first inning with two outs.
Shortstop John Nelson came up big for KU, grabbing Ty Soto’s grounder up the middle and flipping to Casey Spanish at second to end the inning.
“He made two great plays and that one may have turned the game around,” Randall said.
Nelson followed his nifty glovework by leading off the bottom of the first with a single. After K-State starter Kevin Melcher retired the next two Jayhawks, Gremminger flied to right. The ball hung in the wind as rightfielder Pat Maloney fell down, letting Nelson score and Gremminger reach third.
Shortstop Osmar Castillo’s errant relay throw allowed Gremminger to score and give the Jayhawks a 2-0 lead.
“That was huge,” Gremminger said. “That could have easily been the end of the inning if he keeps his feet. It’s a good thing he fell and it’s a good thing they made an error there because any runs we get are important, especially early on. It’s big for us to get an early lead.”
That lead lasted for just two innings though, as the Wildcats (25-25 overall, 10-17 Big 12) scored two runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game.
Thanks to two fielding miscues by K-State, Kansas (22-30, 6-23) regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. Matt Tribble reached second on a throwing error by the second baseman and later scored on an error by Cobb.
“Our defense really helped us and their defense hurt them,” Randall said. “They actually outhit us (13 hits to 10) but the errors made the difference, and we got a timely hit with the bases loaded.”
That “timely hit” was a double to the left field warning track by Kevin Wheeler in the bottom of the fifth inning, after the Wildcats loaded the bases by intentionally walking Gremminger.
“Obviously, when they intentionally walk to get to you it kind of makes you a little bit mad,” Wheeler said, “but I was just thinking he’s not going to want to walk me so I thought he’d give me a good pitch to hit and he did. I was just trying to get the ball up in the air so we could get a sac fly but it ended up going over his head so I was happy with that.”
Randall said he understood why K-State intentionally walked the 2-for-2 Gremminger, but that Wheeler gave the Jayhawks a much needed boost.
“That was a big hit,” Randall said. “It’s been a long time since we got a double with the bases loaded usually it’s a strike out.”
After the Wildcats loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with no outs, Thompson relieved starter Doug Lantz and retired three of four batters to escape the inning with a three-run lead. He allowed just one hit in the final two innings to pick up his second save.
“That’s kind of the way you’d like to see it,” Randall said. “I thought he had great stuff and was really throwing hard.”
Spanish singled home Clay Wheeler in the eighth inning for the Jayhawks’ final run.
Kansas and K-State will finish their conference regular seasons today at 2 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark.
“We played some pretty good baseball,” Randall said. “We’re capable of that and I’d like to see us come back and do it again tomorrow.”