MANHATTAN, Kan. -- A three-run eighth inning broke open a pitchers' duel Tuesday evening, as the Omaha baseball team fell 3-0 to Kansas State at Tointon Family Stadium.
 
Omaha got two standout mound performances to hold K-State scoreless through the first seven frames, with no Wildcat runners advancing past first. Starter Andrew Brighton went four innings with just one hit and a walk in his first career start, and reliever Cal Hehnke came in for three more innings, holding K-State hitless with no walks and four strikeouts.
 
K-State put the first and only runs on the board in the bottom half of the eighth, loading the bases with one out. A two-run single up the middle by Dylan Watts opened the scoring, and an RBI groundout by Drew Mount plated the third and final run for a 3-0 advantage.
 
Tyler Eckberg (2-0) earned the win for K-State, throwing the seventh and eighth innings and allowing one hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Malik Moore (0-2) took the loss, surrendering three runs on three hits and a walk. Jaxon Passino earned his second save.
 
Thomas DeBonville was 2-for-4 to lead the Mavericks at the plate for his team-best ninth multi-hit game of the season.
 
The Mavericks are now 9-14 on the season, while the Wildcats improve to 13-12.
 
Omaha resumes Summit League action this weekend, hosting South Dakota State for a three-game series at Seymour Smith Park. Friday's opener is set for 4 p.m., and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.