The Kansas State bats are back after a six-home run performance, including two each from Shintaro Inoue and Dee Kennedy, fueling a 14-8 victory over Wichita State Tuesday night at Tointon Family Stadium to complete the season series sweep.

The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Wildcats.

Eight K-State batters contributed a hit in the win, as the Wildcats (24-17) also got homers from David Bishop and AJ Evasco. K-State tallied three runs in four different innings and turned in their second game with six home runs this season — one shy of matching the program’s all-time single-game record.

“It’s always good to play well at home and play well in front of your home crowd and against an in-state rival,” head coach Pete Hughes commented. “Good to get our bats going again — they’ve been MIA. But that’s the nature of the game, managing the ups and downs and minimizing the downs.”

“That’s our mindset as we move forward – stay positive, continue to work and get back to our standard of play, which we haven’t seen in the last five games. So that was a really productive night, and happy for our guys for sticking with the game and getting on the other side of it,” added Hughes.

Kennedy became the third Wildcat to register 10 home runs this season, joining Maximus Martin (12) and Keegan O’Connor (10).

K-State has launched two or more home runs in 21 games, including in 11 contests at home. This season, the Wildcats have totaled 70 home runs, ranking fifth all-time in school history and second in the Big 12 Conference.

Tanner Duke, who made his fifth midweek start of the year, earned the win after allowing one run (unearned) on five hits with three strikeouts on his way to improving to 2-2. In five starts, the right-hander has surrendered only five earned runs across 21 innings.

Donte Lewis and Adam Arther logged the next three frames, while Ty Ruhl fired a scoreless ninth.

Kam Durnin and Mauricio Millan led the Shockers (12-28) with 3-for-5 efforts, with Millan driving in a team-high two RBIs. WSU starter Tyler Dobbs lasted 1 1/3 innings and suffered the loss after giving up four earned runs on three hits.

WSU took advantage of a fielding error to plate the opening run but was answered in the bottom of the first, as Inoue belted a solo shot into left field – his fifth of the year.

The Wildcats tallied three runs to take the 4-1 lead in the second, highlighted by Evasco’s two-run blast.

Bishop homered in the fourth and Kennedy lifted his first of two bombs in the next inning to start off K-State’s two-out rally. Seth Dardar doubled before O’Connor and Sam Flores followed with a pair of singles to stretch the Wildcats lead to seven, 8-1.

WSU responded with three runs in the top of the sixth.

K-State recovered the runs handed over in the top of the inning as Inoue unloaded on a 2-2 pitch for his second homer of the day before Kennedy, who doubled in the next at bat, stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.

Wichita State managed to pull within three, 11-8, after scoring four runs over the seventh and eighth innings but Kennedy’s second blast sealed the game.

With just seven home contests left of the regular season, K-State will host a three-game Big 12 series against Houston at Tointon Family Stadium, starting Friday at 6 p.m.