The K-State men's baseball team had a chance to upset a ranked team for the last time this season, and Wildcat first baseman Justin Bloxom made sure they were able to hold on to beat the No. 3-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils 7-6 on Tuesday night at Tointon Family Stadium.

The game didn't get off to a good start for the Wildcats as Arizona State lead-off man Ryan Sontag scorched a single up the middle. The Sun Devils' threat to score in the first was quickly relinquished as K-State's starting pitcher Justin Murray got Petey Paramore to ground into an inning-ending double play.

"Obviously we had to grind it out pretty good," Hill said. "That was a great offensive ball club, and Murray gave us a great start. That was a plus."

K-State (23-25) got its first hit when Nate Tenbrink connected on a two-out single, and the next batter, Bloxom, capitalized on the Wildcats' momentum with a opposite field two-run blast to take the lead. Rob Vaughn had a chance to add to the lead in the second with a man on third, but hit a harmless grounder to end the scoring threat.

Arizona State (37-9) got a lead-off walk in the fourth by Brett Wallace but once again, the Sun Devils were turned away empty handed. It was Bloxom coming up big again for the Wildcats as he took away an almost certain Sun Devils extra-base hit with a diving catch that brought the crowd to its feet. He then tagged the base for another double play, and Murray got out of the inning with a strike

out of Rocky Laguna.

"Bloxom really kinda kicked things off for us," Hill said. "He had a pretty good night, and he took good swings."

The Sundevils took the lead in the next two innings with a crushing homer by Mike Leake in the fifth and a two out, bases loaded two-RBI single in the sixth off the bat of Sontag.

The Wildcats wouldn't stop fighting as they came back in the bottom of the inning when Brett Scott scored from a single by Tenbrink. Bloxom came up later in the inning and blasted another two-run bomb over the left centerfield wall.

Bloxom added another RBI in the following inning with a triple. He finished the game going 3-for-4 with five RBI.

"Of course there was extra motivation for my hometown man," Bloxom said. "I'm just trying to hit the ball."

The drama wasn't over as Arizona State came back in the top of the eighth and added three runs on four hits, cutting the lead to one. The Wildcats were unable to add an insurance run for the ninth, but Daniel Edwards came in and closed the door - earning his ninth save of the season.