Kansas State's Late Run Sinks KU, 5-4
May 20, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY –
Sophomore Tony Thompson had four hits, including a pair of doubles, but it was not enough. Rob Vaughn’s RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning plated the winning run as fourth-seeded Kansas State rallied from a pair of one-run deficits to knock off fifth-seeded Kansas, 5-4, in the first day of the Big 12 Baseball Championship Wednesday at Bricktown Ballpark.
The Jayhawks drop their first Big 12 Championship game since 2005, and fall to 37-20 overall, while Kansas State improves to 40-15-1.
Kansas fell despite outhitting the Wildcats 15-10. KU left 12 men on base, including nine through the first five innings, and committed two errors in the seventh inning that cost the team an unearned run.
KU put runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings against K-State starting pitcher Lance Hoge, yet did not score until David Narodowski’s lead-off home run in the fifth inning. Following the junior shortstop’s fourth round-tripper of the season, KU put runners on first and second with one out to knock Hoge out of the game.
However, relief pitcher Evan Marshall retired Tony Thompson and Casey Lytle on a pop out and a ground out to end the inning.
Kansas State scored three runs in the sixth inning to take a 3-1 lead and end KU starting pitcher Shaeffer Hall’s game after 5 1/3 innings. Hall surrendered three runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Three of the six hits he gave up came in the sixth inning.
The Jayhawks responded with a three-run inning of their own in the seventh as Buck Afenir singled home Robby Price, who led off the inning with a double. After KU loaded the bases, freshman James Stanfield collected a two-run single to right field as KU regained the lead at 4-3.
However, the Wildcats scored an unearned run in the seventh and the winning run in the eighth off the bat of Vaughn.
Thompson led the offensive effort going 4-for-5 in his first postseason game, while Robby Price went 3-for-5 with his 11th double of the season.
With the four-hit game, Thompson extended his hitting streak to 14-straight games, matching his season high.
The Jayhawks will look to bounce back against top-seeded Texas at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
