So thick was the tension that Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price could cut it with a fungo bat.

“When you struggle, it’s contagious,” Price said. “You could almost feel the pressure in the dugout.”

Down 4-0 after five innings to Big 12 Conference doormat Kansas State, the Jayhawks needed something — anything — to light a fire.

Enter Matt Tribble and Casey Spanish with a pair of matches. The two outfielders slammed back-to-back home runs over the right-center field fence leading off the sixth inning and Kansas rallied for a 10-5 victory Saturday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

“I was proud of the way we battled back,” Price said. “I’ve been frustrated with how we’ve been struggling.”

Saturday’s win snapped a six-game losing streak in Big 12 play and, more importantly, set the stage for today’s dramatic regular-season finale against the Wildcats at Hoglund.

“It’s the biggest game of the year,” said Spanish, a senior who also bashed a three-run homer in the Jayhawks’ five-run eighth. “It’s what we play for.”

The scenario boils down to this: If the Jayhawks win, they’ll be going to next week’s Big 12 Conference tournament for the first time in school history. If they lose, they’ll hope Texas Tech loses to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma loses to Missouri today … and they should know because the KU-KSU game will start at 4 p.m. — three hours after Tech meets OSU and two hours after the OU-MU contest.

Only the top eight teams in conference standings will qualify for the league tourney at SBC Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City and, after Saturday’s games, KU and Oklahoma are tied for seventh with 9-17 records. Texas Tech is a half-game back at 8-17.

“I’d rather have it come down to this than the way it’s been for the last three years,” Spanish said. “It’s a new era for Kansas baseball, and it’s great to be part of it for one year.”

Kansas University's Casey Spanish is congratulated after hitting an eighth-inning home run. KU beat Kansas State, 10-5, Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark.

However, if the Jayhawks lose today and both Oklahoma and Texas Tech win, Kansas will have to watch the league tourney on television again.

Spanish, for one, thinks the Jayhawks’ 10-run outburst in the last three innings Saturday night was the turnaround.

“It means a lot to get 15 hits,” Spanish said. “It’s a big boost for tomorrow.”

Spanish, whose two home runs tied him with Kevin Wheeler, Ryan Baty and Travis Metcalf for the team lead with 10, was one of four Jayhawks to collect three hits. Tribble, Matt Baty and Ritchie Price also posted trifectas. Tribble’s homer was his fifth of the season.

“We were down 4-0 and we hadn’t been swinging the bats as well as we’d like,” Spanish said, “and we just said we’ve got to relax.”

Kansas pitcher Chris Smart delivers a pitch. Smart picked up the win in the Jayhawks' 10-5 victory Saturday over Kansas State at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Tribble-Spanish solo blasts were the catalysts. Then, after KSU starter Brett Bagley surrendered two walks, Matt Baty singled in a run and Wheeler’s infield single forged a 4-4 deadlock.

An inning later, Spanish scored the go-ahead run after singling, advancing to second on a walk to Lance Hayes and scoring on Matt Baty’s single.

Then in the eighth, Spanish struck the coup de grace — the three-run homer off KSU reliever Jonathan Gutierrez.

“I just wanted to put the ball in play,” Spanish said, “but I got a good pitch to handle and got a good swing on it.”

Minutes later, second baseman Matt Baty singled in an insurance run.

Junior right-hander Chris Smart went 8 1/3 innings for his second win of the season. Smart gave 10 hits, but only three of the Wildcats’ runs were earned.

— Sports editor Chuck Woodling can be reached at 832-7147.