It was a game scheduled on short notice, but Kansas State completed its solid nonconference slate by defeating Newman University handily with a 7-1 victory on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats learned of the makeup game on Monday and used the opportunity to give the team and pitching staff one last game of work before opening Big 12 play this weekend.
With the win, the Wildcats improved to 16-3 overall heading into conference play Friday, where they begin a three-game home series against Oklahoma State. K-State enters conference play having won 10 of its last 11 games.
"I thought we had a pretty good night," head coach Brad Hill said after the game. "Offensively, I thought we created a lot of pressure and I thought we took really good swings."
The Wildcats used an explosive second inning to separate themselves from the Jets. With one out, K-State used a hit-and-run with with Kent Urban at the plate and Mike Kindel on first base to jumpstart the offense. Urban connected with a pitch from Steven Trevino, driving a single to left-center field, advancing Kindel to third.
Following a walk by Matt Giller to load the bases, Jake Brown drove a pitch down the right field line for a double, bringing in both Kindel and Urban and giving the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead.
K-State scored five runs in the inning, giving Hill the comfort of placing several pitchers on the mound to work throughout the night in preparation for the start of Big 12 play.
In all, Hill sent out seven pitchers to the mound on Tuesday night, led by sophomore starter Kyle Hunter, who improved his record to 4-0 with the two-inning performance. Hunter was followed by Justin Lindsey, who also recorded two innings of work.
"We had a great outing by all of our pitchers out there," junior shortstop Carter Jurica said. "We put up five (runs) early and they just carried us."
With the 5-0 lead, the Wildcats found another opportunity to extend their lead in the fifth inning.
With two outs, Giller laid a safety squeeze bunt down the third base line, scoring Kindel to push the lead to 6-0. After stealing second base, Giller scored on an RBI single by Jake Brown. Brown finished the game going 2-for-4 with a team-high 3 RBIs
Pushing the lead even further was something the Cats had struggled with early in the season.
"That is something we haven't done," Hill said. "The concern is we score something runs in one inning and haven't been able to add on. Tonight we did that."
With the non-conference portion of their season completed, the Wildcats will now shift their focus to the challenge of Big 12 competition.
K-State will face Oklahoma State on Friday with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. Kyle Hunter will take the mound again, looking for his fifth win of the season.
Notes:
•The Wildcats showed their speed on the bases Tuesday night behind the effort junior shortstop Carter Jurica, who swiped two bags on the night. He now has 12 stolen bases on the season. K-State leads the Big 12 in stolen bases on the season.
•Jurica also impacted the game with his ability to reach base. He walked three times in the contest, including twice being hit by a pitch. The Wildcats lead the Big 12 and rank sixth in the nation in reaching base by way of being hit by a pitch.
•Kyle Hunter recorded his second consecutive outing without allowing an earned run. The sophomore went two innings with two strike outs Tuesday night while allowing just one hit. In his last appearance, Hunter went eight innings with no earned runs and four strike outs.
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