SURPRISE, Ariz. (Interstat) — Ty Smolinski collected three hits and drove in three runs, and Connor Lodice sparked a three-run third inning as Kansas State defeated Texas Christian 9-4 on Wednesday in the Big 12 Baseball Championship.

The Wildcats (29-25) banged out 14 hits and raced to a 9-0 lead before the Horned Frogs (33-21) rallied. Kansas State’s pitching staff allowed only five hits, with starter Tazwell Butler striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings.

The game’s most important sequence occurred in the bottom of the seventh inning after TCU had cut the lead to 9-4. The Horned Frogs loaded the bases with one out on a hit batter, a walk and a fielder’s choice that brought in two unearned runs. Reliever Cohen Feser entered and struck out Traeger and Bell to escape the jam. Feser then worked a scoreless eighth and ninth, preserving the victory.

Kansas State set the tone immediately. Leadoff hitter Kennedy singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Smolinski doubled to left center for the first run. AJ Evasco’s single made it 2-0. In the third, Lodice singled and Smolinski tripled to right field, scoring Lodice. After a walk and a hit batter, Gallagher singled to left, driving in two more runs for a 5-0 lead.

The Wildcats added two runs in the fourth. Kennedy walked and scored on Smolinski’s single, which also advanced to second on an error. Smolinski stole third and scored on Evasco’s triple. In the sixth, Lodice doubled and scored on Bear Madliak’s double. Evasco singled and Vasquez delivered a sacrifice fly, making it 9-0.

TCU finally broke through in the fifth. Gamster doubled and Noah Franco doubled him home. Rob singled to bring in Franco, cutting the lead to 9-2. Butler was replaced by Adam Arther, who finished the inning.

Butler’s line: 4 2/3 innings, no hits, two earned runs, seven strikeouts, one walk. Feser tossed three hitless innings with three strikeouts. Arther threw 1 1/3 hitless innings.

Smolinski, who scored three times, has been productive recently. In his previous four games, he had multiple hits three times, including a two-homer, three-RBI game against UCF on May 15. He also went 2 for 5 with two RBIs in Tuesday’s win over Utah.

Evasco went 3 for 5 with two RBIs. Madliak finished 2 for 4 with an RBI. Gallagher drove in two runs. For TCU, Noah Franco pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings in relief, and relievers Trever Baumler and Tanner Sagouspe combined for 3 2/3 innings of two-run ball.

Kansas State entered the game having won three of its last four, including a 9-5 win at Utah on Tuesday. The Wildcats had taken two of three from Cincinnati earlier in May but lost series at West Virginia and at Nebraska. TCU had lost three of its last four, dropping a series at West Virginia and losing two of three at Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs had won two of three at home against Kansas State earlier in April.

The Wildcats next face West Virginia on Thursday.