March 13, 2015 Box Score
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State took advantage of five miscues from a normally-sound Missouri State defense to build a four-run advantage, then rode the pitching of Nate Griep to a 4-0 series-opening victory Friday evening at Tointon Family Stadium. Griep limited the Bears to four singles over 7.0 innings before Bryce Ward tossed two scoreless frames to close out the first shutout of MSU this season.
Missouri State (9-5) recorded a season-high three double plays, but committed five errors to aid key K-State scoring rallies in the second and fifth innings. The Bears, who have recorded the top three team fielding percentages in school history over the last three seasons, had not committed five errors in a single contest since May 24, 2012 - a 13-inning win over Bradley at the MVC Championship.
Griep (3-1) would not need the Bears' charity, as the left-hander struck out six Bears before Ward worked out of an eighth-inning jam, then slammed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth.
K-State took advantage of three consecutive singles - two of them of the infield variety - and the first MSU error of the night to put the first run on the board in the bottom of the second. Steve Serratore started the rally with a leadoff single to deep short, and Tyler Moore delivered the first of his two hits on the night to set up a sacrifice situation for Max Brown. But the Wildcat center fielder became the third KSU hitter to reach in the inning by beating out a well-placed bunt to the left side of the mound.
Bears starter Matt Hall (3-1) recovered to strike out Tyler Wolfe, then coaxed a bouncer to short that appeared to have double-play ball written all over it. Joey Hawkins bobbled the grounder, however, resulting in the first defensive miscue for the infielder in 22 games dating back to last May, as well as the first run of the game. Hall got his inning-ending twin-killing from the next batter, as Carter Yagi rolled to second for the 4-6-3 double play to leave the score at 1-0.
MSU's defense would falter again in the fifth, as Hawkins couldn't come up with a second chopper hit by Wodtke to start the inning, and Eduardo Castro's throw to first on Yagi's sacrifice bunt put a pair of Wildcats in scoring position before the first out could be recorded. Next, Clayton Dalrymple lined a base hit to right to drive in both runners, then moved over to second on a mishandle by Blake Graham. Shane Conlon capped the scoring with a run-scoring double, before Hall struck out Danny Krause and retired Brown on a diving stop by Dylan Becker at second.
Griep and Ward combined to strand nine baserunners, as the Bears struggled to string together hits all evening. MSU would not record multiple hits in an inning until the eighth, when Hawkins led things off with his second hit of the game, and Justin Paulsen lined a one-out single through the right side of the infield.
But Ward coaxed a fly ball to left off the bat of Castro, then induced an inning-ending bouncer to short from Graham to end the last real threat from the Bears.
Conlon (2-for-3) reached base in three of his four trips to the plate to lead the Wildcats, and both Serratore and Moore added two-hit nights for KSU (9-8).
Hawkins led the Bears with a 2-for-3 effort, as MSU was held to six hits for the second straight game. Hall suffered the loss after striking out five batters and allowing all four KSU runs (two earned) on eight hits over his 6.0 innings.
The Bears and Wildcats will square off again Saturday (March 14) in game two of the series at 2 p.m.
