Kansas University starter Cameron Selik tosses a strike to Kansas State’s Adam Muenster. Selik pitched eight innings, and the Jayhawks stopped the Wildcats, 7-3, on Saturday in Manhattan.

Manhattan ? The bullpen bailed out Kansas University senior right-hander Cameron Selik when he made a mess on the mound the previous week, and it was his turn to return the favor Saturday night in Tointon Family Stadium, where 2,296 spectators witnessed a Big 12 baseball rivalry game.

Consider the debt repaid.

Selik did such a fine job of working himself out of the few jams he got himself into, the bullpen wasn’t needed until the ninth inning of a series-evening, 7-3 victory against Kansas State.

Selik worked eight innings and allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out eight to improve his record to 6-3. K-State sophomore left-hander Kyle Hunter (8-1) took his first loss of the season in KU’s first victory at Tointon Stadium since 2006.

Tony Thompson backed Selik with three hits, including his fifth home run. Brett Lisher added two hits, and Brian Heere blasted his fourth home run.

But it was Selik whom Kansas coach Ritch Price talked about to his players as he gathered them in shallow right field for the post-game chat.

“He needed to redeem himself, and he did,” Price said, referencing the rough outing against Missouri. “The only way we were going to win tonight was if we were going to get a quality start out of him.”

The victory left Kansas tied with Texas A&M for fifth place in the Big 12 standings. Kansas State is tied with Oklahoma for third place, a half game out of second.

Hard-throwing freshman right-hander Tanner Poppe takes the mound for the Jayhawks in today’s series-deciding finale against right-hander Justin Lindsey (4-3, 5.44). A KU victory would clinch a spot in the eight-team Big 12 tournament.

“With everything so bunched up, we win tomorrow, we’re a game out of second place. We lose, we’re like a game out of eighth place,” Thompson said. “We know how important the game is.”

Selik knew how important repaying the bullpen was for him Saturday night, and he was able to do it thanks in large part to a sharp cut fastball that crowded the hands of left-handed hitters and darted away from right-handed swingers at the last instant.

Selik survived scares of different varieties in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings.

In the fourth, after Thompson, with a home run to left, and Chris Manship, with a run-scoring single up the middle, gave KU a 2-0 lead, Selik found himself in a mini-jam.

With a runner standing on second and one out, Selik fell behind cleanup hitter Daniel Dellasega, three balls and no strikes. Selik worked it back to a full count, Dellasega fouled off a couple of pitches and then struck out when he couldn’t quite reach Selik’s cutter.

In the sixth, after allowing a leadoff home run to Carter Jurica, which pulled K-State within 6-1, Nick Martini ripped a line drive right back at Selik, who somehow managed to catch the ball with his right hand after it glanced off his left forearm. He threw the ball to first for the out and in the process scared an entire dugout.

“My assistants were all going, ‘Pray to God it’s not his right arm. Thank God it was his left,” Price said.

Selik had ice packs on both arms after the game.

“Right in the forearm,” Selik said, showing the red skin. “I thought it was hanging off when it hit me at first. I kind of came to, and the ball was in my hand. I’m like, ‘Oh.’ You get that light-headed feeling like, ‘Where am I?’ It kind of went away after I saw it wasn’t dangling, and I got back to throwing.”

Two innings later, K-State mounted a threat, loading the bases with one out on a pair of singles and a walk, turning that into only one run, on a sacrifice fly. Selik escaped with a 6-2 lead when he retired Blair DeBord on a deep fly ball to right.

It was the first victory in seven tries on artificial turf for Kansas and the seventh loss in the past 10 Big 12 games for Kansas State.

After Heere padded the lead with a solo homer to right with two outs in the ninth, Kansas right-hander Colton Murray, allowed a home run to right to the first batter he faced, Mike Kindel, but escaped the inning without additional damage.