Chris Ceballos, Zach Kokoska and Terrence Spurlin each registered three hits Tuesday night to power K-State to a 13-8 victory over Missouri at Tointon Family Stadium.
Ceballos and Spurlin both homered as the Wildcats (24-16) tallied eight extra-base hits in picking up their third straight victory. K-State scored multiple runs in four separate innings, including in three of the first four innings.
"Really good team win," said head coach Pete Hughes. "Loved the offense, set the tone right away with the five runs [in the first] and then I thought we played great with the lead. You always hear me say that you can tell a lot about a team when they're five runs up or five runs down. That's how you play when you're five runs up."
K-State brought nine to the plate in a five-run first inning, highlighted by Ceballos' three-run home run. Dylan Phillips and Spurlin each added RBI doubles in the opening inning, as the Cats recorded five hits in the frame.
Ceballos doubled twice, including a two-run double in the fourth. The senior catcher finished the night 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and a career-high five RBI.
"He's proven that he can hit at this level and can hit Big 12 pitching," Hughes said of Ceballos. "You look at his Big 12 numbers over his career. Two years ago, he was awesome and this year his numbers are really good in the Big 12. We definitely need that bat in our lineup and need to keep him hot."
"I felt good and in practice I've just been sticking with what I've been doing," added Ceballos. "I knew the time would come where I'd be able to get a multi-hit game, it was just a matter of time. But nothing really changed, stuck with my approach and it just kind of worked out that way today."
Phillips' first-inning double drove in the game's first run, helping his own cause as he got the start on the mound for the Wildcats. Phillips picked up his first career victory after throwing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
"I always love hitting when I'm pitching," Phillips said. "It kind of keeps a clear head on both sides of it because you are never really thinking about one too much. But it was nice to get on the board and get the train rolling for us."
After Missouri (12-26) put up a four-run third to trim the Cats' lead to a run, K-State responded with three runs in the home half. Kokoska's RBI double preceded Spurlin's two-run, opposite-field homer. Spurlin went 3-for-4 with three runs driven in.
Following Ceballos' fourth-inning double to push K-State's lead to 10-4, the Tigers managed three runs in the sixth. Brandt Belk's pinch-hit RBI double highlighted the inning for MU.
Blake Burrows added a two-run single in the seventh after Phillips' RBI groundout in the sixth to cap the K-State scoring.
Eight different Wildcats recorded a hit while five drove in at least one run. Kokoska's 3-for-5 night helped push his career-long on-base streak to 36 games.
Eric Torres and Tyler Eckberg combined to hold Missouri without a hit over the game's final 3 1/3 innings. Jaxon Passino struck out five in his two innings of relief.
Mizzou was led by Josh Holt, Jr., who finished 2-for-3 after entering as a pinch hitter. Tre Mann and Torin Montgomery both drove in a pair of runs for the Tigers.
MU starter Trae Robertson suffered the loss after giving up five earned runs on five hits in his only inning.The victory marked K-State's first home win over Missouri since the 2011 season.
K-State concludes its 12-game homestand with a non-conference weekend series against Texas Southern starting Friday. The series will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
