MANHATTAN, Kan. – For six innings, Omaha worked around Kansas State runners on base.
Five pitchers combined to force the Wildcats to strand 10 men as the Mavericks carried a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh Tuesday at Tointon Family Stadium.
Then Omaha's good fortune ran out.
Jeff Heinrich's one-out grand slam, on an 0-2 pitch from
Tanner Olmstead, highlighted a six-run seventh that pushed the Wildcats (19-17) to an 11-3 come-from-behind victory over the Mavericks (16-18).
The teams combined for 17 walks (plus four hit batters), 21 strikeouts and 25 runners left on base.
Omaha jumped in front three batters into the game when
Mike Boeve doubled in
Will Hanafan. Boeve later singled in
Harrison Denk in the fifth to put the Mavericks up by two midway through the contest.
Starter
Easton Smith got out of the first with two runners on but left after walking in a run in the second. The Mavericks avoided more damage as KSU stranded multiple runners in four of the first five innings.
Raphael Pelletier followed Heinrich's slam with a solo homer that put the Wildcats on top 7-3. Omaha loaded the bases in the top of the eighth to get the potential tying run to the plate. But Dylan Phillips got Hanafan to strike out looking on a boarder line pitch to end the threat. KSU then added to its advantage.
Devin Hurdle paced the Omaha offense with three hits while Boeve finished with two.
