A late three-run rally in the ninth was not enough to overcome a five-run deficit for the Creighton baseball team as they lost to Kansas State 7-5 Tuesday night.
“We played really well in the second half of the game, especially that last inning,” coach Ed Servais said. “But, we got off to a slow start and that is something that we can’t do against good teams on the road.”
The Jays slow start began in the very first inning, with sophomore starter Hudson Leach allowing back to back singles and a homer through the first three batters, putting Creighton behind 3-0 in the first before they could even get an out.
Leach was able to settle down and get out of the inning after that, but gave up another homer in the second, pushing the Jays deficit to four.
Freshman reliever Malakai Vetock would come into the game shortly thereafter to stop the bleeding and was effective in doing so, keeping the Wildcats at bay with three punchouts in three scoreless innings of work, a career best.
Sophomore reliever Tommy Lamb, a transfer from Oklahoma that has faced Kansas State before in the Big 12 conference, also retired two of the three batters he faced.
Senior second baseman Andrew Meggs put Creighton on the board in the third, manufacturing a run after his one out walk.
The Jays added another in the fourth, but Kansas State kept the pressure on, blasting another homer in the top of the sixth off of Creighton sophomore reliever Daniel Hammond to push the score to 5-2.
The Wildcats further padded their lead with an unearned insurance run in the seventh and another in the eighth on Kansas State’s fourth homer of the day.
The solo home run was hit off of junior reliever Marc Lidd, just the third earned run he has allowed in 13 innings of work out of the bullpen this season.
The Wildcats ability to get the ball out of the yard is something that Servais attributes to pitching up in the zone.
“We elevated the ball too much tonight, and when you elevate consistently you will get fly balls and home runs,” Servais said.
Heading into the ninth trailing 7-2, sophomore third baseman Kyle Hess led off the Bluejays last frame with a hit-by-pitch.
After a fielder’s choice, junior outfielder Jared Wegner knocked in Hess with a single. It was Wegner’s fourth hit on the day, a new career high.
Wegner has been swinging a hot bat of late, last weekend he batted .600 with seven RBI and three home runs in three games against The Citadel.
“For me, I am just trying to put the ball in play and keep the pressure on the defense, and I was able to do that tonight,” Wegner said.
The Jays kept at it from there, using a pinch hit triple from sophomore outfielder Jack Peluso, his first career hit and RBI, to pull the tally closer at 7-5.
Creighton’s rally stalled after that, with Kansas State retiring the next two batters to seal the game.
Outside of their three-run outburst in the ninth, the Jays’ usually explosive offense was held scoreless or to one run in the eight previous frames, a likely product of the pressure from playing behind.
“It was nice to see our offense come alive in the ninth, but we have to start better, because we pressed early on once we got behind and had some uncharacteristic at-bats,” Wegner said.
The defeat snapped a four-game win streak for Creighton and was just their second loss in 14 games. Their record now at 15-8, the Jays will be back in action Friday for the first of three in a home series against the Georgetown Hoyas who are also a home run-heavy offense.
First pitch of the series opener at Charles Schwab Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. as Bluejays ace Dylan Tebrake, who sports a 3-1 record with a 2.77 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched, will take the bump.