Kansas

Frustrating loss to BYU in finale takes luster off Kansas State baseball’s series win

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2024

Frustrating loss to BYU in finale takes luster off Kansas State baseball’s series win

MANHATTAN — An extra-inning loss to Brigham Young on Saturday didn’t affect Kansas State baseball’s position in the Big 12 standings, but it certainly put a damper on what had shaped up as a pleasant finish to the regular season.

The Wildcats were one strike away from a three-game sweep and a full head of steam heading into this week’s Big 12 Championship when the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. Instead of celebrating on senior night, they saw BYU score seven runs in the ninth and 10th innings for a 12-8 victory at Tointon Family Stadium.

“It’s a frustrating loss,” K-State coach Pete Hughes said. “You have a chance to sweep someone and you’re one strike away and you’re up two runs, it’s about as heartbreaking as you can have.

“My mind is really stuck on that, to be honest with you. I didn’t look at any positives we had during the game, and we did a lot of really good things, but when you’re that close to winning with a two-run lead at home and then a couple of crazy plays.”

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With the loss, the Wildcats finished the regular season at 31-22 overall and 15-15 in the Big 12, while BYU improved to 21-31 and 7-23 while ending a 13-game conference losing streak. As the No. 6 seed, K-State will face No. 7 Kansas at 9 a.m. Tuesday to open the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas.

K-State took a 7-5 advantage to the ninth inning, only to surrender the lead on a bases-loaded error and a wild pitch. Then, after Brady Day tied it with a towering leadoff homer in the bottom of inning, BYU effectively ended it on Parker Goff’s grand slam to left.

The ending overshadowed a gritty comeback performance by K-State, which took its first lead on Kaelen Culpepper’s two-run, opposite-field home run to right, then made it 7-5 when Kyan Lodice followed with a solo shot to right. Culpepper also had a two-run triple in the third.

“I’m proud of our guys for battling back and tying it in the bottom of the ninth off a closer who had been dominating this year. It kind of sets up for a great comeback and it just didn’t happen.

“I feel bad for our seniors, but a really frustrating loss because it was so close, but that’s the life of major college athletics right there.”

The Wildcats, who wrapped up the regular season at 31-22 overall, 15-15 in the Big 12, had 11 hits in the game, including three home runs. But BYU (21-31, 7-23), which ended a 13-game conference losing streak, answered with 14 hits and drew eight walks.

Still, K-State did take two games to win the series, picking up a pair of one-run victories on Thursday and Friday. They took the opener, 7-6, on Lodice’s walk-off single in the 12th inning, while Jackson Wentworth and Tyson Neighbors combined on a five-hitter in a 2-1 Friday win.

Wentworth’s performance was especially critical after K-State used four pitchers in the series opener, as he responded with career highs of eight innings and 11 strikeouts. With the Wildcats clinging to a one-run lead, he gave up a leadoff triple in the sixth inning, then struck out the next three batters, and with runners at second and third he got another strikeout to end the threat.

“I just tried pushing through to get the team a win,” Wentworth said of whiffing BYU’s Easton Jones to end the eighth. “All I could do to just get that last out for Tyson to come in and close it.”

Neighbors also came up big, getting the Cougars in order with two strikeouts for his eighth save just a day after throwing 50 pitches over eight innings in the opener.

“I thought we played good this weekend,” Hughes said in recapping the series. “We won a series. “It’s all about winning series. We’ll feel terrible about this one for a while, but it’s a 24-hour rule. We’ve got to get back at it and get hot in the Big 12 Tournament and try to win the tournament.”

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

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Kansas

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

Published

10 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged with creating child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors showering during an athletic competition.

According to court documents, 37-year-old Ryan Brungardt of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.

Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School.

Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament was held at Newton High in January 2024.

Brungardt made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday

Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.

Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

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