<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744597876664.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas State Athletics
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 "We're really proud of our guys after Friday night," commented seventh-year head coach&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2603" rel="smarttag" rev="2603">Pete Hughes</a></dfn>, who collected his 115th&nbsp;home victory at the helm of K-State baseball. "As a head coach, you want your kids to be tough and toughness is often defined with how you handle adversity." "They got themselves back in the series yesterday and played great with energy out of the gates today," Hughes added. Sheffield turned in his fourth quality start at K-State in improving his record to 5-3, as he scattered two hits to go with five strikeouts and one walk. The Flowood, Miss, product retired 17 consecutive batters before allowing a two-out double in the sixth. "We got a phenomenal start from&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/lincoln-sheffield/12332" rel="smarttag" rev="12332">Lincoln Sheffield</a></dfn>, and we all fed off Lincoln's start. That is the storyline of today's game." Antonio Jimenez put an end to the left-hander's scoreless outing, launching a solo homer in the seventh. Sheffield put down of the 21 of the 24 batters he faced in his third seven-inning start of the year. Trailing 8-1, UCF (19-16, 4-1) managed to score six unanswered runs in the final three frames, including four in the ninth to force K-State to make its second pitching change of the inning. With two outs, the Wildcats called&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/james-guyette/12295" rel="smarttag" rev="12295">James Guyette</a></dfn>&nbsp;to the bump, where the right-hander used four pitches to strike out the final batter and pick up his second save. "For sure a great series win for our program. It is difficult to win series in the Big 12, and we just saw how difficult it is to win games in the Big 12. Games are never over." Six different players contributed a hit in the win with multi-hit efforts from&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/keegan-o-connor/12317" rel="smarttag" rev="12317">Keegan O'Connor</a></dfn>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/dee-kennedy/12308" rel="smarttag" rev="12308">Dee Kennedy</a></dfn>. O'Connor, who went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored, finished a triple short of completing the cycle. Kennedy produced a game-high three RBI with a three-run blast in the second. With two home runs in the series finale by O'Connor and Kennedy, the Cats brought their season total to 61, registering their 19th&nbsp;game with two or more. In front of three consecutive sold-out crowds, the Wildcats ended the weekend hitting .300 as a team with seven extra-base hits, including four doubles in the finale. "I can't talk enough about the support that this program, and really every program at Kansas State receives, that's why it's a special place. The support we get from this community, it's beyond description. I told our kids today, don't ever take for granted what we play in front of every day, because it's unique and they are a part of it." HOW IT HAPPENED Sheffield retired six consecutive batters to build momentum in the home dugout, as the Wildcats spotted the Knights' starter Wiley Hartley (4-1) for three runs in the second. O'Connor and&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kyan-lodice/12298" rel="smarttag" rev="12298">Kyan Lodice</a></dfn>&nbsp;were each issued a walk to bring Kennedy to the plate, who hit in the seventh spot on the day. After a mound visit from UCF's head coach, the sophomore third baseman launched the second pitch he faced 410-feet over the wall in center to clear the bases. O'Connor extended the Cats' lead to four with a solo shot in the fourth &ndash; his ninth of the year. The Wildcats exploded for four runs in the fifth, as four different players doubled in the inning. O'Connor, who doubled to record his 11th&nbsp;multi-hit, took advantage of a failed pick off attempt and scored to make it 8-0. After five hitless innings, Sheffield's perfect outing came to an end in the top of the sixth, as a call was overturned awarding a double to UCF's Kendry Maduro. The hander issued a walk to move Maduro into scoring position but immediately bounced back with his fifth strikeout of the game. &nbsp; Trailing 8-0, Jimenez ended the Knights' drought with his solo shot out to right field, igniting a late six-run rally over the final three innings. With the tying run on second in the ninth, Guyette fanned the final batter to secure the series win. INSIDE THE BOX
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<li>K-State scored eight runs on nine hits, committed two errors, and stranded four on base.</li>
<li>UCF scored six runs on eight hits with two errors committed, and leaving four runners on base.</li>
<li>Sheffield (5-3) picked up the win, surrendering one run over his seven-inning start. He scattered two hits in the outing with one walk and five strikeouts.</li>
<li>Guyette was credited with his second save of the year.</li>
<li>Hartley (4-1) was tagged for his first loss, surrendering four earned runs on three hits in three innings.</li>
<li>O'Connor went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored while Kennedy (2-for-4) drove in a game-leading three RBI.</li>
<li>Slack was spotted for five earned runs in 1 &frac12; innings of work.&nbsp;</li>
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TEAM NOTES
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<li>With the win, K-State knotted the all-time series, 3-3, with a 2-1 edge in games played in Manhattan.</li>
<li>K-State ties third in the league standings alongside Arizona.</li>
<li>Sunday's win secured K-State's fifth overall series win, improving to 5-1 over.</li>
<li>K-State has homered in 27 of 35 games this season, averaging 1.74 per game.</li>
<li>The Cats are 18-1 when producing two or more homers in a game.</li>
<li>Sunday's contest marked K-State's first rubber match of the season.</li>
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UP NEXT K-State will head to Boston, Mass., to start off a five-game road trip with a pair of contests at Northeastern (April 15-16), before returning for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas starting Friday, April 18 in Lawrence. K-State baseball single-game tickets are available, and can be purchased by visiting&nbsp;<a name="_Hlk192492882"></a>KStateSports.com, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stopping by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.</div>

⚾ K-State drops UCF Sunday to win series