Kansas State scored nine runs over a three-inning span, highlighted by a five-run second, as the Wildcats dealt Michigan a 10-6 loss Sunday night in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series finale at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

After giving up a pair of runs in the top of the second, K-State (6-1) immediately responded, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring five runs led by Micah Kendrick’s two-RBI double. With the win, the Wildcats are off to their best start since 2010. 

“It’s always good when your team wins and you’re dissatisfied,” eighth-year head coach Pete Hughes said. “I thought we played sloppy enough where we need to start closing the gap, but it’s exciting to know how we’re going to close the gap and what we need to do to get this thing rolling a little bit. We’re very close, but we can’t play sloppy baseball like we did early on and give up big innings if we want to be really good in our conference.

“But credit Lincoln Sheffield for picking up his teammates. We didn’t play the best defense for him tonight, but veteran guys settle in there and pick up their teammates. Lincoln always does that.” 

Sheffield (2-0), who has earned the win in three consecutive starts dating back to 2025, tossed 6 2/3 innings without issuing a walk. The Flowood, Mississippi, native surrendered six runs (four earned) on nine hits with one strikeout before handing the ball to Cohen Feser.

Feser, a redshirt senior transfer from TCU, scattered just one hit over 2 1/3 shutout innings to earn his first save of the year. Over two outings this season, Feser has thrown 4 1/3 scoreless innings and surrendered just four hits with no walks.

Michigan broke through in the second inning, taking advantage of a throwing error to build a 2-0 lead, but the Wildcats immediately responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Kendrick laced a double down the left field line to score Shintaro Inoue and Grant Gallagher after both walked and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.

Following Kendrick’s double, the Wolverines made their first call to the pen, bringing in right-hander David Lally Jr. Catcher Bear Madliak welcomed the senior with a hit up the middle to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead. Madliak later recorded his first steal at K-State before advancing to third on a balk and scoring on a wild pitch.

Leading 4-2, Dee Kennedy, who was named the FloSports Player of the Game for his three-hit performance, barreled a solo shot 384-feet to left field to stretch the Cats’ lead.

The two quads later exchanged three runs, making it a 9-6 game, until Carlos Vasquez broke the Wildcats’ two-inning scoring drought with his first homer of the season — a 392-foot blast to left field.

Michigan threatened the lead in the top of the ninth, putting runners on the corners after a hit by pitch and fielding error, but Feser set the Wolverines down in order to record his first save of the season.

vs. Nebraska

K-State’s Carson Liggett fired 4 1/3 shutout innings, and Carlos Vasquez drove in a game-leading four RBI to lift the Wildcats to a 5-3 victory over Nebraska on Saturday.

“A good win for our program tonight,” K-State’s skipper Pete Hughes said. “I love the fact that we bounced back after a tough loss last night. It’s a sign of a winning program and a winning dugout.”

Vasquez, who was named the FloSports Player of the Game, delivered the game-tying, two-out hit to even the score 3-3 in the sixth. Dee Kennedy, the Golden Spikes Award and Big 12 Player of the Week, broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to plate the go-ahead run before Vasquez stretched the lead with his third hit of the game.

With the win, K-State improved to 5-1 overall on the season – its best start since 2011.

“I love the fact that we played tight games, and then our veteran presence, with Carlos Vasquez, with situationally hitting, and then two-out hitting was the difference in the ball game. Love the fact that our team loves to play in these tight ball games, and they embrace those moments and in the seventh, and the eighth, and ninth innings. It’s a calming presence to have a competitive veteran, quality pitcher like Carson Liggett to finish things for us,” added Hughes.

A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Liggett (2-0) needed just 51 pitches to retire 13 of 15 batters he faced in earning up his second consecutive win. The redshirt senior reliever allowed just one hit in the outing and issued one walk, while striking out three. In two appearances this season, Liggett has fired 9 1/3 consecutive shutout innings.

“I thought Donte Lewis grew a ton tonight. Looks like he feels real comfortable and it must be that he feels really comfortable pitching here, because he looked just like he did last year against Michigan. He settled down and slowed the game down in that first inning and got out of a jam for us, and then settled in. It’s a lot of growth on his part today. 

Lewis held the Cornhuskers to three earned runs in the second weekend start of his career. The sophomore right-hander allowed five hits over 4 2/4 innings, and struck out a career-high six batters before handing the ball over to Liggett.

K-State is one of four teams with a 1-1 record at the College Baseball Series, joining Louisville, Florida State and Michigan, while Auburn is 2-0. With the loss, Nebraska fell to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the tournament.

Nebraska threatened to strike in the opening frame with back-to-back hits from the top of the order, but left runners stranded at first and third as Lewis struck out the side in order to prevent early damage.

Kennedy drew a six-pitch walk before advancing to second with his sixth steal of the season. The junior moved to third on a fly ball to right by Shintaro Inoue and scored on a line drive to center off the bat of Vasquez. 

Trailing 1-0, Joshua Overbeek put the Huskers ahead with a two-run double to right-center. Nebraska added another run in the fifth to extend its lead to 3-1, forcing K-State to turn to the bullpen. Liggett relieved Lewis in the fifth, inheriting runners on first and second. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, the right-hander surrendered just one hit over four innings and allowed one runner to reach scoring position the rest of the way.

After three quiet innings, the Wildcats capitalized on a hit by pitch and pair of walks to load the bases and bring Vasquez to the plate. With two outs, the senior outfielder delivered a two-RBI single, punching the first pitch he saw from starter Carson Jasa through the right side to even the score.

Designated hitter Micah Kendrick opened the eighth with a single through the left side to spark K-State’s two-run eighth. A stolen base by Kendrick and a walk from AJ Evasco placed runners at first and third before both advanced on a wild pitch. With no outs, Kennedy lifted a sacrifice fly to left to give the Wildcats the lead. Vasquez followed with his third hit of the game, lacing a 1-1 pitch through the left side to extend K-State’s advantage to 5-3.

Nebraska went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, as Liggett closed it out to secure his second consecutive win.

Up next 

K-State will head out for a two-game midweek series at Louisiana (5-2), starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park in Lafayette. Both games will broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on kstatesports.com, while Wedenesday’s game can also be heard in Manhattan on 1350 KMAN.