MANHATTAN — Breaking a 1-1 deadlock with a four-run uprising in the sixth inning, Kansas State's baseball team advanced to tonight's NCAA regional championship game with a 7-1 win over Bryant, R.I., on Saturday night at Tointon Family Stadium.
Kansas State, 43-17, will play the winner of today's Bryant/Arkansas game at 7. A Kansas State win advances the Wildcats to the next round of the NCAA tournament, and a Kansas State loss would necessitate a second title game on Monday in the double-elimination tourney.
Clean-up hitter Jared King's two-run double in the sixth highlighted the Wildcats' surge against Bryant. King later scored on a passed ball and Austin Fisher crossed the plate on a Bryant fielding error to increase Kansas State's lead to 5-1.
In the fifth, King made a diving catch with runners in scoring position to help the Wildcats preserve a 1-1 ballgame.
Kansas State tacked on a pair of runs in the ninth on Ross Kivett's RBI groundout to second base, scoring Clayton Dalrymple, and Blair DeBord later scored on a wild pitch.
In the first, Tanner Witt's RBI single scored Kivett with Kansas State's first run before Bryant knotted the score in the bottom of the inning.
Wildcats left-hander Joe Flattery (5-4) pitched into the sixth and got the win, scattering seven hits and striking out three. Nate Williams pitched 1 scoreless innings, and bullpen ace Jake Matthys recorded his eighth save after pitching 2 scoreless innings and struck out two.
— Mack McClure
Arkansas 3, Wichita State 1
Ryne Stanek held Wichita State to one run and two hits in 7 1-3 innings as Arkansas eliminated the Shockers from the NCAA tournament with a 3-1 victory on Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium.
The Razorbacks (38-21) got on the scoreboard quickly on Tyler Spoon's two-run single in the first inning, and Stanek held Wichita State hitless for the first three innings. The Razorbacks added a late run on an RBI single by Brett McAfee in the seventh.
Stanek's command was shaky throughout the game, walking a season-high six batters. The Shockers couldn't capitalize though, leaving five runners on base with Stanek on the mound. Stanek (10-2) finished with three strikeouts and has allowed one or fewer runs in 13 of his 16 starts this season.
Wichita State (39-28) scored its lone run on Casey Gillaspie's homer in the fourth. AJ Ladwig (5-6) allowed two runs on nine hits in six innings.
Kivett named as All-American
Kansas State junior second baseman Ross Kivett picked up his first-career All-America designation as Collegiate Baseball announced its Louisville Slugger All-American team.
Kivett, the Big 12 Player of the Year, was named to the third team and is the first Wildcat All-American since outfielder Nick Martini and right-handed reliever James Allen carded numerous accolades following the 2011 season.
An All-Big 12 first-team selection, Kivett entered play Saturday hitting .365 with 13 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 38 RBI. Serving as K-State’s leadoff hitter for a majority of the year, Kivett also has 26 steals this year to tie for seventh in school history and holds an on-base percentage of .442.
In Friday’s opening-round game of the 2013 NCAA Manhattan Regional, Kivett went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI. The Broadview Heights, Ohio, native improved his season hit total to 88, which is tied for fifth in school history, while he recorded the first multi-home run game by a K-State player in over two years.
