The Kansas State baseball team was swept this past weekend as they lost all three games at home to the TCU Horned Frogs at Tointon Family Stadium.
It wasn’t because the Wildcats weren’t close, however, as they lost two of the three games in extra innings.
The starting pitching for game one of the series on Friday was the story of the game, as TCU starting pitcher Jared Janczak got the first 18 Wildcats out before K-State freshman outfielder Cameron Thompson broke up the perfect game bid with an infield hit.
K-State junior starting pitcher Justin Heskett sat down 17 in a row at one point and was very solid in the game as well.
“I thought he was outstanding tonight,” head coach Brad Hill said to K-State Sports. “Great job of mixing (pitches) and (Tyler Kincaid) called a great game. He had great composure all the way through. Our pitching was very good tonight. There’s really good pitching in this league. It’s one of the best. We saw a couple really good ones last week. We’ve got to find a way to scratch across a run somewhere along the way.”
The Horned Frogs scored five runs in the top of the 11th inning and took game one 5-0.
In game two, both offensives struggled as the teams went to extra innings once again tied at zero. The Horned Frogs scored off sophomore K-State pitcher, Bryce Ward, for the only run in the game and shut out the Wildcats for the second-straight night.
“Pitching staff is doing a tremendous job,” Hill said. “They are really pitching well and we are playing good defense behind them; pitching in tough situations, too. Guys are pitching tough and made the pitches we had to. Offensively, we’re just thinking too much … We’re not free and easy at the plate. A lot of guys are pressing. We’re not hitting the pitches we want to hit when we are up in the count.”
The Wildcats got another good start from senior pitcher Parker Rigler who went five innings and didn’t allow a run.
“Proud of how (Rigler) kept making pitches when he had to to keep it at zero,” Hill said. “He had a lot of baserunners out there but he kept competing. He gave us what he had for five innings and there were zeroes up there.”
In the series finale, the Horned Frogs offense exploded for six runs in the third inning and five runs in the fifth inning in a 12-4 win to complete the sweep.
K-State sophomore pitcher Brogan Heinen went less than three innings and gave up six runs while senior Nick Jones threw two innings and gave up five runs.
The Wildcats will look to get their first win in the Big 12 when the travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to take on the Cowboys next weekend.
