K-State baseball drops series at TCU

TCU (26-16, 10-14), also in the race for a postseason spot, rose four spots in the RPI rankings up to No. 37. They closed the gap on K-State, who dropped one, placing at No. 35.

Saturday doubleheader

Saturday saw a doubleheader as the Fort Worth area anticipated inclement weather on Sunday.

K-State fell 7-4 in the opener, despite leading early on.

Left fielder Chuck Ingram launched his ninth home run of the year in the second inning, extending K-State’s lead to 3-1.

However, the Horned Frogs broke through against K-State starter Jackson Wentworth in the fourth inning, plating all seven of their runs. The redshirt sophomore’s line finished with 3 1/3 innings with six earned runs and five strikeouts.

With ace Owen Boerema on the mound for the second game, K-State was able to bounce back and snap its 14-game losing streak in Fort Worth with a 6-3 win.

The southpaw started with four no-hit innings before having it snapped with a Horned Frogs bunt. He moved to 4-3 on the year, allowing surrendering three runs across 5 2/3 innings with two strikeouts.

After TCU found some hope against Boerema, K-State called on All-American Tyson Neighbors to shut the door. The righty earned a 3 1/3 innings save, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts.

“That was a long challenging day with a quick turnaround after a night game,” head coach Pete Hughes said in a written statement. “…(Owen Boerema) delivered a great start in a must-win game while (Tyson Neighbors’) extended outing was dominant and kept us in control.”

Offensively, K-State was led by true freshman right fielder Nick English who went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, and junior shortstop Kaelen Culpepper who went 2-for-3 with four RBI.

With a double, his 17th on the year, English tied the freshmen class single-season record set by current Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Martini.

Center fielder Brendan Jones picked up two steals in the series, marking a career-high 31 bases this season, which ranks fourth in a single season for the Wildcats. Jones, who is just a junior, is first among Power Five teams in stolen bases this season.

Friday

TCU simply dominated on Friday in the series opener, flashing the skillset that earned them a preseason No. 1 ranking in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs won 12-0.

K-State starter Ty Ruhl moved to 1-2 as he continues to work back to full strength after missing extended time with an injury. The righty surrendered five runs on four hits and two walks in his one inning of work.

Sophomore Andrew Evans didn’t have much luck out of the bullpen either, allowing six runs across 1 2/3 innings. Junior Jacob Frost settled in, however, with 3 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball with three strikeouts.

It was only the second time all season the Wildcat offense was shutout, with the first in a 4-0 loss April 16 at UConn.

“Difficult to play from behind versus a premiere arm,” Hughes said in another statement. “I have confidence in our team and how we’ll respond.”

Up next 

The Wildcats will have a midweek game on Wednesday at Nebraska (27-13, 10-4 Big Ten), at 6:05 p.m. The Huskers sit a game out of first place in their conference standings. The first meeting of the series, originally scheduled for March 26 in Manhattan, was canceled.

K-State then returns home on Friday for the Sunflower Showdown series versus a Kansas team (25-15, 12-9) that’s surging after winning their last six games.