MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State took advantage of 15 walks issued by ACU pitchers in the first game of Friday's doubleheader to take a 6-5 win, and then scored six times in the first inning of the second game to take an 11-1 victory as it swept a non-conference doubleheader from ACU at Tointon Family Stadium.
ACU is now 12-28 on the season, while K-State improves to 23-20. The start date and time for the third and final game of the series are both still undecided because of the poor weather forecast for the city of Manhattan.
In the first game, ACU jumped on top with three runs in the top of the first with two runs coming home on a two-run double by
Koby Claborn and another coming in on an RBI double by
Anthony Dominguez.
But ACU's pitchers – starter
Austin Lambright and relievers
Jonah Smith and
Brandon Lambright – combined to give up 15 walks between them, led by 10 from
Austin Lambright, who threw 135 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of work. Despite the walks,
Austin Lambright continued to work out of trouble, and ACU carried a 3-0 lead to the fourth and a 3-1 lead to the sixth.
The Wildcats tacked on another run in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead, but couldn't hold it. K-State scored two runs in the sixth, one coming in on a bases-loaded walk and another scoring on a wild pitch. Then in the seventh, Smith hit the first batter and then gave up a walk before
Brandon Lambright entered the game.
He walked the bases loaded before getting a strikeout for the first out of the inning. But on a 2-2 pitch, he gave up bases-clearing triple to Josh Ethier that gave K-State a 6-4 lead. ACU would get a run in the ninth on an RBI single by Dominguez, but the game-tying run was left stranded at third when
Dalon Farkas flew out to right field to end the game.
In the nightcap, K-State jumped on ACU starting pitcher
Zach Kornely for six runs on five hits in just 2/3 of an inning of work and never looked back in taking the 11-1 win. ACU's only run came in the seventh.
