MANHATTAN, Kan. – Missouri State saw a 6-2 lead slip away thanks in large part to an eight-run seventh inning by Kansas State which helped the Wildcats take a 2-0 series lead with a 12-6 victory Saturday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium.
K-State (12-6) scored 10 runs in the sixth inning or later after the Bears (9-8) jumped on the Wildcats early, and took a 6-2 lead into the sixth thanks to a strong start from Jason Schaaf, who finished the day allowing three runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings.
Caden Bogenpohl launched a three-run homer in the top of the first to stake Missouri State to the early lead, Dylan Leach doubled and scored on a Logan Chambers single in the third to make it 4-1, and an RBI single from Taeg Gollert was followed by another Leach double in the fourth to make it 6-2 Bears.
All six MSU runs were scored with two out, while K-State manufactured single runs in the first, third and sixth frames to make it 6-3 Bears entering the seventh.
The wheels came off for the Bears in the seventh as the Wildcats sent 11 men to the plate and scored eight runs off three different pitchers on a combination of six hits and three walks. KSU added a solo homer in the eighth for the 12-6 final margin.
Leach and Jake McCutcheon each collected two hits for the Bears, and Curry Sutherland recorded the first hit of his career with a single in the ninth. Nick Rodriguez saw his hit streak end at 16 games, the longest by a Bear since 2021 and tied for the No. 20 streak in school history.
The series concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday.
