No. 24 Wildcats Rally Past Kansas, 8-5

May 16, 2010

MANHATTAN, Kan. –

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Junior Brandon Macias went 3-for-4, while Brian Heere extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a pair of hits, but it was not enough. Kansas State third baseman Adam Muenster recorded three hits and two RBIs, while relief pitcher Evan Marshall tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen as the No. 24 Wildcats overcame an early deficit in an 8-5 victory over Kansas, Sunday at Tointon Family Stadium.

The Jayhawks fall to 30-21-1 overall and 11-12-1 in the Big 12, while K-State improves to 34-16 overall and 13-10 in league play. KU’s loss drops it to sixth in the conference standings, however with Oklahoma State’s loss to Texas A&M Sunday, the Jayhawks clinch a spot in the Big 12 Baseball Championship, which will take place in Oklahoma City, May 26-30.

On Sunday, Kansas built a 3-0 lead on the strength of home runs by Brian Heere and Casey Lytle, knocking K-State starting pitcher Justin Lindsey out after 2 2/3 innings. However, the Wildcats turned the game around in the fourth with three runs with two outs.

Kansas starting pitcher Tanner Poppe retired the first two hitters in the fourth, but surrendered four straight singles, and allowed an additional run to score when he tried to make an off-balance throw to first base on a ball that was hit off of his glove by Muenster.

The Jayhawks regained the lead at 4-3 on an error with the bases loaded in the fifth, but it was short-lived as K-State plated three more runs in the sixth on another RBI hit by Muenster and a two-run single by Nick Martini, which broke a four-all tie.

After collecting seven hits in the first three innings, KU managed just four over the final six innings, including two in the ninth when Brett Lisher and James Stanfield recorded back-to-back doubles off of James Allen for its final run.

Macias led the Jayhawk attack with three hits in the game, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Heere added a pair of hits, including his fifth home run of the season in the first inning.

The Jayhawks will look to strengthen their non-conference resume with a Tuesday evening game at Arkansas-Little Rock at 6 p.m.