Wildcats Fall to Nebraska in First Game of Series

Maybe five days off just wasn't enough time.

Kansas State head baseball coach Brad Hill said early this week his team embraced the break between its series against Texas Tech and the matchup with Nebraska this weekend.

But the same inconsistencies remained Friday night.

Despite putting themselves in position to make a comeback, the Wildcats dropped the first game of the three-game series 5-3 at Tointon Family Stadium.

Sophomore Justin Lindsey (2-1) threw four innings, allowing four earned runs off four hits to take the loss in his first career Big 12 start.

It was the third inning when Hill became concerned. With his team down 3-0, the Wildcats immediately put themselves in a position to respond at the plate, but they came away with nothing.

Manhattan High product Blair DeBord led the inning off with a walk, followed by a double from Adam Muenster down the left field line. Carter Jurica walked next to load the bases with just one out.

But two consecutive strikeouts to end the inning without a scoring a run, began a pattern of missed opportunities in the game.

"I was really disappointed in the bottom of the third," Hill said. "I felt like it wasn't our hitting. I felt like we didn't have energy from our bench in the last two innings, and then all of a sudden you get a sense of urgency with the bases loaded and one out after they score three. There is a sense of urgency there to need to score. I didn't feel like we really had that from our bench."

The Wildcats had one final opportunity in the ninth inning to string together a comeback when Nick Martini drove a ball into right field, scoring Debord and cutting the Nebraska lead to two.

The Wildcats bench suddenly came alive again with energy, but Daniel Dellasega flew out to right field and the single run was all K-State would come away with.

"I felt like we waited a little bit to long to get that energy we needed," senior Adam Muenster said. "The last few innings our bench really came alive and the bats kind of came alive also. It's something where you can't wait for the ninth (inning) to do it.

You have to have it throughout the game and usually we are pretty go at it, but tonight we weren't that good at it."

The Huskers rode an impressive pitching performance from their weekend ace Michael Mariot (3-4), who struck out a season-high seven batters en route to his third victory of the season.

"He was good," Muenster said. "He had the ability to throw the off-speed pitch for a strike a lot in the count and got ahead in the count and didn't walk too many guys. He pitched well tonight."

Meanwhile, Mariot was supported by teammate Adam Bailey at the plate. The senior right fielder hit two home runs in the contest — both to right field.

Bailey's second homer came on the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning off junior reliever Thomas Rooke. The lefty had worked through two innings of relief work, keeping the Wildcats in the game, but he missed with a fastball, and the Big 12 home run leader drove it into the trees beyond the right field wall.

"I got a little anxious a couple games ago, and I kind of said, 'relax and let the ball come to you,'" Bailey said. "That's what I did. I tried to relax as much as possible. I wasn't looking for a fastball, I was looking for something away, and I just trusted my hands and let them fly."

It was Bailey's seventh home run this season.