A baseball has 216 stitches, and nearly every one of them fell off during the late stages of the Cyclones’ three-game homestand this weekend.

The Iowa State ballclub fell apart at the seams in the last two innings of Sunday’s game, as the Kansas State Wildcats ripped the cover off the ball in scoring 12 runs in the final frames to rout ISU 22-8.

The victory gave the Wildcats the series two games to one. ISU Coach Lyle Smith was disappointed by the Cyclones’ inability to win the contests that were so crucial in the postseason race.

“We felt we should have won two,” Smith said of the weekend matchup against the tenth-place Wildcats.

After a 45-minute rain delay at Cap Timm Field, K-State got off to a quick start, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first inning after three hits.

But ISU bounced back in its first chances at the plate. Aaron Runk led off the bottom of the inning with a walk, and Tom Wierzbicki followed with a double. Both men scored when first baseman Shawn Leimbek launched an opposite field three-run homer to knot the score at 3-3.

The Wildcats jumped back into a three-run lead after the top of the third, thanks in part to a Yancy Ayres home run.

ISU added single tallies in the third and fourth innings to cut the deficit to 6-5, and put the game again within reach.

But the ISU pitching staff could not control the Wildcat bats. After plating a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, K-State led by five at 10-5.

Leimbek gave the Cyclones hope once again by driving a home run over the right field wall for his fifth round-tripper this season. McDonough followed the Leimbek shot with his team-leading 10th home run, to pull ISU to within two runs at 10-8.

But after the back-to-back long balls, the team came apart defensively.

Trailing 13-8 heading into the ninth, four ISU pitchers allowed nine of the first ten K-State batters circle the bases.

“They couldn’t get the job done,” Smith said. “Finally, it was just a matter of stopping the bleeding.”

Eight of the Wildcat starters tallied at least two hits, as the team pounded out 23 in all. The club led off eight of the nine innings with base hits.

Kansas State set a school record with nine doubles, and six Wildcats stepped to the plate seven times on the afternoon.

Starting pitcher Brian Curtin suffered the loss, dropping to 0-5 on the season after surrendering six runs in 2 2/3 innings.

“We couldn’t make any plays. It just got ugly,” Smith said.

The Wildcats took game one of the three-game set by the final of 4-2.

ISU starter Nate Hilton (1-4) allowed the first four Wildcat hitters to score. A three-run jack by clean-up hitter Josh Marn highlighted the Kansas State scoring.

The Cyclones did not give up another run the rest of the way, but could only manage two runs themselves in the loss. Leimbek again led the ISU hitting attack, going 2-for-4.

K-State pitcher Brandon Peck scattered six hits in 7 2/3 innings to pick up his fourth win.

In the second game of Saturday’s twinbill, Runk provided the offensive spark for the Cyclones, belting a two-run homer and a triple in the 6-5 ISU win.

Also, Ames native Jason McNertney came up with his biggest hit of the season for ISU. The freshman added a two-run double in the fourth inning to help the Cyclone cause.

Brad Waldron notched his fourth of the season after going 5 1/3 innings and allowing four runs. Waldron (4-3) struck out seven Wildcats and surrendered four hits.

All of K-State’s runs came in the fifth inning before the ISU bullpen could corral the Wildcats. Shawn Sedlacek and Steve Larkin pitched well in relief, with Larkin snaring his third save after tossing two perfect innings.

After weekend play, ISU sits at 18-26 overall and 8-14 in conference play. Kansas State caught the Cyclones in the standings, now owning a 16-22 mark and 8-14 record in the Big 12.