MANHATTAN — Kansas State's record-setting baseball season has become super.
The Wildcats edged Arkansas 4-3 on Sunday night in an NCAA regional championship game at Tointon Family Stadium to advance to their first Super Regional in school history. Kansas State, 44-17, will travel to Corvallis, Ore., to play Oregon State in a best-of-three series, beginning on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the College World Series.
Playing host to their first regional in school history, the Wildcats trailed 3-0 after Arkansas, 39-22, scored a trio of runs in the first.
But Kansas State answered with a pair of runs in the fourth and seventh innings to rally for the win and finish 3-0 over the weekend in regional play.
The Razorbacks owned their early lead after Brian Anderson hit a two-run single and Matt Vinson added a run-scoring single.
But Kansas State trimmed the margin to 3-2 after Blair DeBord stroked an RBI single and Mitch Meyers lifted an RBI sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats overtook Arkansas in the seventh, capitalizing on a pair of wild pitches by Hogs reliever Jared Beeks with Jared King at the plate to seize a 4-3 lead.
Beeks was trying to intentionally walk King when his second pitch was down and away from catcher Jean Ramirez and rolled to the backstop, allowing Ross Kivett to score from the third, tying the game at 3.
Two pitches later, another low and away pitch from Beeks got away from Ramirez, as the Wildcats' Tanner Witt easily scored the eventual winning run.
Kansas State middle reliever Gerardo Esquivel secured the win in 4 innings of one-hit ball after relieving starter Blake McFadden, who had a shaky start and lasted only 1 innings. Bullpen ace Jake Matthys closed the door on the Razorbacks, recording his second save in as many days after pitching two scoreless innings.
— Mack McClure
• Arkansas 12, Bryant 3
Brett McAfee had two doubles and drove in three runs as Arkansas routed Bryant 12-3 on Sunday afternoon in a regional elimination game.
Jacob Mahan had three RBI and Tyler Spoon drove in two for the Razorbacks (39-21).
Arkansas jumped on Bryant (45-18-1) with three runs in the first, four in the third and another five in the eighth inning.
Kevin Brown had a solo homer for the Bulldogs, who were eliminated, in the first, along with an RBI single from Dan Muscatello in the sixth.
Arkansas' Randall Fant (6-1) earned the win, allowing two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. Kevin McAvoy (7-3) took the loss.
