June 8, 2013

Wildcats Survive Beavers

By Patrick Meyers

Special to CollegeBaseballInsider.com

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Kansas State scored five runs in the last two innings in a 6-2, 10-inning win over Oregon State to open the Corvallis Super Regional Saturday.

Beaver Nation thought this game was in the books heading into the top of the ninth leading 2-1, but the Wildcats showed they are there for a reason too and to always play until the last strike.

With two out in the top of the ninth, Kansas State’s Ross Kivett hit a full-count double that turned into a triple on an outfield bobble in the right-center gap.  Tanner Witt came in next and singled to center, bringing in the tying run. 

“What was going through my head is that when it got to 3-2, I wanted to put a good swing on it,” Kivett said. “I knew if I could pass the stick to this guy [Tanner Witt] and [Shane] Conlon and [Jared] King, I knew we had a good chance to score a run.”

In the top of the 10th, the Wildcats busted the game wide open, leaving the stadium silent, minus the ecstatic Kansas State section. Jared King led off with a hustle double on a bloop to left-center that left fielder Michael Conforto couldn’t find in the sun. Following a strikeout, Jon Davis singled up the middle to plate King with the go-ahead run. Blair DeBord, Mitch Meyer and Witt added RBI singles to stretch the lead to 6-2.

“That was just a tough ballgame all the way around,” Kansas State coach Brad Hill said. “It was well-pitched. Both teams pitched extremely well. “I think [Oregon State starter Matt] Boyd was really tough on us. We looked really tight, confused. We just didn’t get any good swings off on him at all.”

Hill’s regards to Boyd were well earned. Boyd pitched a full seven innings with five hits and one earned run and left with a lead, thanks to Conforto’s fourth-inning, two-run homer.

“Matt Boyd pitched well enough to win the ballgame,” Beavers coach Pat Casey said. “We didn’t score him any runs. We left runners on base and didn’t capitalize on opportunities when we had those chances. We had the lead in our ballpark and it just didn’t hold.”

The Beavers were one strike away from a win, but after reaching deep into the bullpen and giving Kansas State a little bit of breath, Oregon State’s closers simply couldn’t close.

“Kansas State played very well,” Casey said. “We certainly had many opportunities early in the game or throughout the game. It’s tough when you get down to the last strike and you don’t get it done.”

Kansas State is now in command to reach its first College World Series.

Game 2 in this best-of-three is set to start at 7 p.m. local time at Ross Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.