Kansas State Aims to Bounce Back After Loss to Virginia…
Kansas State faces a critical challenge on Saturday, needing a win to keep its season alive following a 7-4 defeat to No. 12 national seed Virginia at Disharoon Park in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Wildcats, who are 35-25, initially held a 3-0 lead but couldn’t withstand the Cavaliers’ powerful offense, which ranks second in Division I baseball for batting average and boasts 114 home runs.
Virginia’s comeback began with two runs in the fifth inning and continued with another two in the sixth. The decisive blow came in the seventh inning when Henry Godbout hit a three-run home run, sealing Virginia’s win.
The two teams will meet again for Game 2 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with a potential third game on Sunday if necessary.
“It was a great ballgame,” said K-State head coach Pete Hughes. “Virginia capitalized on a couple opportunities. You hate giving up runs due to fundamental errors. Their three-run homer was a deciding factor.”
K-State will start right-hander Jackson Wentworth (5-5, 4.11 ERA), who missed his true freshman season due to Tommy John surgery but has since returned to form.
He was named to the Fayetteville Region All-Tournament Team. Virginia will counter with right-hander Jay Woolfolk (3-1, 6.15 ERA), who had an outstanding performance against Mississippi State, pitching into the ninth inning and striking out seven.
Virginia’s left-hander Evan Blanco, who improved to 8-3 with the win on Friday, has been a consistent performer for the Cavaliers, pitching five or more innings in eight of his last nine starts.
K-State previously won a Super Regional game in 2013 but lost 1-2 to No. 3 Oregon State. Eleven years later, they aim to extend their stay in Charlottesville.
“We’ve done it all year long, a two-out-of-three series,” Hughes said. “Our guys are resilient. We’re still two games away from going to Omaha, and one game from getting back into this series.”
The Wildcats have shown resilience throughout the season, boasting 14 come-from-behind victories. On Friday, they started strong with Brendan Jones hitting a triple and scoring on a sacrifice lineout. Kaelen Culpepper’s double in the third inning extended their lead to 3-0.
Virginia responded in the fifth inning with two unearned runs and took the lead in the sixth with a two-run double. K-State tied the game 4-4 in the seventh with David Bishop’s solo home run, but Virginia’s three-run homer in the bottom of the inning proved decisive.
Despite the loss, K-State remains hopeful. “It doesn’t matter what two games you win, you have to win two,” said pitcher Owen Boerema. “I’m confident we’ll come back with a lot of energy.”
Both teams swept through their Regionals, with K-State defeating No. 5 Arkansas and Virginia topping Mississippi State. The Wildcats, who have faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation, aim to bounce back quickly.
“It’s a two-out-of-three series with a quick bounce back of less than 24 hours,” Hughes said. “You have to get your team feeling good with a quick turnaround and get back into the series.”
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